


sixteen

by eufoeria



Series: at the end of everything [1]
Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-19 10:58:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7358497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eufoeria/pseuds/eufoeria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They met in the summer of their sixteenth year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. [1/2]

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of a series that tells a larger story. I got the idea for this first part when I was driving to the beach listening to some of my favorite albums from high school. I really wanted to write young Sunggyu and Woohyun, laying on the floor and trying to write a song. This was supposed to be 10k but I think it's going to surpass 20k, so I'm splitting it up because no one wants to read 20k words at once. Sorry if the chapter break is a bit awkward ^^

       “Next up is… Nam Woohyun.”

       Sunggyu squinted at the messy handwriting on the application. He was a second-year, like Sunggyu, from the same high school, different class. He was the goalie for the soccer team. Ah, he was  _ that _ Nam Woohyun, the one whose parents owned a couple of restaurants in the center of town. He could play the guitar and sing. Supposedly. Sunggyu sighed and looked up at Woohyun who was smirking at him like he’d already been accepted.

       “What are you going to play for us?” he asked, barely restraining himself from rolling his eyes. He’d seen this type before--cocky and full of themself because they were a little good-looking, so no one would tell them how truly mediocre they were. He probably only learned to play the guitar to pick up girls.

       Woohyun adjusted the strap on his shoulder and plucked a string before clearing his throat. “I’m going to play ‘The Day Before’.”

       Sunggyu sat up straighter at that. So this guy knew Nell? It still didn’t prove anything aside from the fact that he had good taste. He motioned with his hand to start playing.

       The thing was--Sunggyu had to admit--he was  _ good _ . Not good in the way most people who audition to get into a high school rock band are (just  _ listenable _ at best). He was genuinely, really good. It pissed Sunggyu off.

       He felt Myungsoo, who was seated next to him, nudge him with his elbow. He leaned over and whispered, “Hyung, he’s the one.”

       Sunggyu scoffed, but squirmed as the rest of his bandmates watched, captivated. He didn’t even want to talk about what it meant when he realized he was quietly singing along by the end. He grudgingly clapped along with the rest of his bandmates when the song was finished.

       “Am I in?” Woohyun asked, flashing a stupid smile as he brushed his hair out of his face. Sunggyu narrowed his eyes.

       “Why do you want to be in the band?”

       Woohyun blinked innocently at the question. He tilted his head and said, “I thought it would be interesting.”

       Of course he did. “If we’re interested, we’ll be in touch. Next!”

       As the end of auditions approached, Sunggyu was growing desperate. There had to be somebody,  _ anybody _ , who could top Nam Woohyun. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to another indie coffeeshop wannabe sing off-key. This day couldn’t get any worse.

       Sunggyu sighed as the last candidate left the converted tool shed his band, Coma Beat, was using as a practice space. The band members pulled their chairs into a circle to discuss.

       “It’s got to be Nam Woohyun, right?” Sungyeol said, grinning. “We’ll win first place for sure.”

       Sunggyu grimaced. “Not him. Anyone but him.”

       “Hyung-ah, don’t be jealous,” Sungjong said suddenly from the ratty couch where he had been asleep for most of the auditions.

       “You’re not even in the band--Ow!”

       Sunggyu rubbed his head where Sungjong had hit him with a piece of popcorn from a snack bag he was holding. What a disrespectful kid.

       “You already know what I think,” Myungsoo said quietly. Sunggyu gritted his teeth. So he was outvoted, betrayed by his own bandmates.

       “I’ll give him a call.”

       A not-so-small part of Sunggyu was actually disappointed when Woohyun showed up for practice the following Wednesday, guitar in hand. He was kind of hoping for an “I told you so” moment, not a “you’re the most infuriating person on the planet” moment.

       “This is the sheet music to all of our old stuff,” Sunggyu said, dropping a small stack of paper into Woohyun’s hands. “We mostly do covers though, so become familiar with the songs.”

       Woohyun nodded and smiled as he briefly flipped through the sheets of paper, like it’d be no problem at all to learn what Sunggyu had been working at for years. Annoying. Sunggyu shook his head and continued, “Our goal is Battle of the Bands the first weekend of September. Tryouts are in June though, so we need to get ready fast.”

       “Are we doing any other performances?” Woohyun asked, putting the sheet music into his bag.

       “The culture festival in July, I guess,” Sunggyu shrugged, “Sorry you won’t get to show off to all the girls more.”

       Woohyun laughed. “You think I don’t get enough of that with soccer?”

       Sunggyu frowned. “Anyway, I’m on lead vocal and rhythm guitar. Myungsoo is on bass and you’re on lead guitar.” Myungsoo waved at Woohyun. “Both of you do backup vocals. Sungyeol’s on drums.”

       “Got it, got it,” Woohyun moved towards the amp to plug in his guitar. It was… hot. Not Woohyun, the guitar. And not because it was on Woohyun, no, Sunggyu just kind of had a thing for instruments, and Woohyun’s was beautiful. It probably cost a fortune. As if he needed another reason to dislike him.

       They got through practice without any major spats. Woohyun picked up the chords of their songs quickly, and they were able to play through to the end for some of them by the time it was over. Not exactly ready for tryouts, but they had two months.

       After practice was over, Sunggyu bid goodbye to Sungyeol and Myungsoo as he packed his guitar into its case. Only Woohyun remained, checking his phone and occasionally looking up at Sunggyu like he was waiting for him to finish packing. Sunggyu ignored him, but an irritated feeling began to grow in his chest as Woohyun followed him to the school gates.

       “Stop following me,” Sunggyu said, turning around to glare at him. Woohyun held his hands up in surrender.

       “My house is in the same direction,” he replied, smiling.

       Sunggyu scoffed. “How do you even know which direction my house is in?”

       Woohyun ignored the question and slung an arm across Sunggyu’s shoulders as they exited the school gates. Sunggyu shrugged it off and waved to Sungjong who was waiting for him across the street.

       Sunggyu turned to Woohyun. “I’m already walking home with Sungjong, so you can call your driver or whatever it is you usually do to get home.”

       That should have been the end of the bizarre exchange, but Woohyun followed Sunggyu as he jogged across the street and tagged along behind them even as Sunggyu slung an arm across Sungjong’s shoulder.

       “You must be Woohyun,” Sungjong said, turning around to shake Woohyun’s hand. Sunggyu shot him a glare but he continued, “I was really impressed by your audition.”

       “At least one of you was,” Woohyun replied, squeezing in next to Sungjong’s other side so that Sunggyu was in danger of falling off the sidewalk.

       Sungjong smiled and leaned closer. “Sunggyu-hyung was too, he just won’t admit it.”

       “Yah,” Sunggyu growled. Sungjong stuck his tongue out at him, and Sunggyu pulled his head close and ruffled his hair until Sungjong was beating on his arm with his fist.

       Woohyun laughed. Sunggyu released Sungjong from his grasp and shot him a glare. Woohyun grinned and said, “You two seem close.”

       “I’m in my third year of middle school, but I live in the same building as Sunggyu-hyung, so we’ve known each other all our lives,” Sungjong said, smoothing down his hair, “he’s been helping me study for the high school entrance exams.”

       “Speaking of which, why aren’t you at cram school already?”

       Sungjong winced at Sunggyu’s question. He whined, “Hyung, one day off won’t kill me.”

       Sunggyu pursed his lips at Sungjong’s pout. He shook his head. “No, you’re coming with me. It’s better you show up late than never.”

       Sungjong whined as Sunggyu grabbed his arm and pulled him down the street that led to the cram school they both attended. Woohyun stopped and stared at their retreating forms. Sungjong looked back once more and saw Woohyun wave. Woohyun smiled at his bright wave back and at Sunggyu’s frustrated scowl before he was out of sight.

       “Hyung, why do you hate Woohyun?” Sungjong asked as they turned the corner.

       Sunggyu thought for a moment. “People like him--they think they can get by on their good looks alone.”

       “People say that about Myungsoo-hyung too.”

       Sunggyu frowned. “Myungsoo’s different.” He realized they had stopped walking and began to pull on Sungjong’s arm with renewed vigor. “Now stop stalling and come on.”

       It was nearing midnight when extra classes were over. Sunggyu yawned and pushed aside all thoughts of how nice it would be to just sleep in the closet of the cram school instead of walking all the way back home. As he trudged home, he grew annoyed at the subject his mind kept coming back to: Nam Woohyun.

       He knew, on some level, this anger was completely irrational. He hadn’t really  _ done _ anything to deserve this level of hate. Or maybe it wasn’t hate at all. No, Sunggyu knew this was more like an anxiety. Tryouts were so close, and if Woohyun let them down, it was over. This was his last chance to win Battle of the Bands before his senior year, when he was sure his mother would try and force him to quit to focus on college entrance exams.

       He sighed, turning down the last street before home. He was the leader, and, like it or not, he needed to act like one. He would apologize--okay, maybe not  _ apologize _ \--but he’d try and make peace with Woohyun at their next practice. They wouldn’t get anywhere if all they did was fight.

       That Friday, Woohyun seemed almost shocked when Sunggyu entered the practice room and actually greeted him properly.

       “You’re here early,” Sunggyu commented, eyebrows raised. Woohyun grinned.

       “So are you.”

       Sunggyu pursed his lips at that. It was true; they were the only two in the practice room at that point. Sunggyu always rushed there after class to get a few extra minutes in.

       “Sungyeol always chats up girls after class,” Sunggyu said, turning away and opening his guitar case, “And Myungsoo’s probably still asleep in his classroom.”

       “I’m surprised you already have first year members when the school year’s barely started.” Woohyun began to get his things out too, including the slightly crumpled sheet music he’d received last time.

       “Oh, I’ve known them since middle school,” Sunggyu replied. He sat down and began to tune. “We were in music club together, and we promised to start a band when we were all in high school.”

       They both went silent, focused on tuning their instruments, and when they were finished, Sunggyu turned to Woohyun and asked, “Do you want to practice together?”

       “Huh?” Woohyun asked, tilting his head.

       “I mean, like, we can play the songs together, so I can help you through them.” Sunggyu cursed himself for how lame that sounded. He was nervous,  _ why _ was he nervous?

       “Oh,” Woohyun said, smiling a little, “Sure.”

       They didn’t talk until Sungyeol and Myungsoo arrived. The only sound in that cramped shed was the combination of their own gentle melodies that came from their guitars. Sunggyu didn’t know why he felt embarrassed when Sungyeol burst loudly into the room, dragging Myungsoo behind him. He didn’t know why Woohyun’s cheeks were pink, like he was embarrassed too.

       They weren’t friends, far from it. If anything, they were temporary allies, and for all Sunggyu knew (or cared) they would go back to being strangers after September, and that was completely alright with him. All he cared about was that Woohyun showed up on time for practices and that he knew how to play the songs. Woohyun would be late for Saturday and Sunday practices because he had soccer practice in the morning, but Sunggyu convinced himself it couldn’t be helped. Myungsoo slept through half their Saturday practices anyway.

       The odd thing was--Woohyun kept following him afterwards. He’d follow him and Sungjong, if Sungjong showed up that day, all the way to the corner of the street where his cram school was. He finally couldn’t take it anymore and had to ask Woohyun, “Why do you keep following me every day?”

       Woohyun looked shocked and a little hurt. Sunggyu cursed the twinge of guilt he felt at that. “Don’t friends usually walk home together after school?”

       “We’re not--” Sunggyu paused before he said something that would make Woohyun really upset. Somehow, the thought of an upset Woohyun annoyed him. He tried again, “I just don’t see what you’re getting out of this.”

       Woohyun looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. He muttered something Sunggyu failed to catch, and looked back up at him. “If it really bothers you that much I’ll stop.”

       “That’s not what I--”

       But before he could finish his sentence, Woohyun was already walking away. Sunggyu contemplated chasing after him, but he was already running late. Woohyun would be fine, he told himself, he had plenty of other friends to walk home with. It wouldn’t bother him at all if Woohyun started to walk home with other people; in fact, it would be a relief.

       It wasn’t until Woohyun missed a Wednesday practice that he began to get annoyed.

       “Nice to see you finally decided to show up,” Sunggyu spat as he walked in (ten minutes late) through the practice room doors on Friday.

       “Sorry,” Woohyun mumbled, quickly pulling his guitar out of the case, “I had soccer club stuff.”

       Sunggyu narrowed his eyes. “We picked the song we’re doing for auditions last time.”

       “Shit,” Woohyun closed his eyes and sighed. “I forgot that was happening.”

       Of course he had, Sunggyu thought. Why should he care what song they do for the auditions? He probably thought they were a shoe-in. Sunggyu shook his head and tried to focus on the music for the rest of practice, pointedly ignoring any and all attempts Woohyun made at an apology. The atmosphere was tense, and when practice was over Myungsoo and Sungyeol practically ran from the room.

       “Seriously, Sunggyu, I’m sorry.”

       Sunggyu shook off the hand Woohyun placed on his shoulder as he closed his guitar case. Lately he’d been able to focus on just his parts, but Woohyun was still having troubles with the trickier parts of some songs.

       Woohyun ran fingers through his hair in frustration and sighed. “I only missed  _ one _ practice. Why is this so important to you?”

       Sunggyu turned sharply and spat, “Because I take this seriously. I don’t want to just enter this competition; I want to  _ win _ it.”

       Woohyun gaped at him, stunned. Sunggyu turned back around to shove sheet music into his bag. He nervously fingered the strap of his backpack as he waited for Sunggyu to finish packing.

       “This is my last chance,” Sunggyu said without turning around, “After this year, my mom is making me quit the band to focus on school. But... I want to be a singer.”

       Sunggyu shouldered his bag and walked out the door. Woohyun followed closely behind him. Sunggyu sighed, “I get that for the rest of you guys this is just something you do after school, but this is my  _ future _ .”

       Woohyun lowered his head and didn’t respond. He followed Sunggyu until the corner where Sunggyu’s cram school was. Of course now he chose to start following Sunggyu again, like a little lost puppy. Great. As Sunggyu began to walk away without so much as a  _ goodbye _ , Woohyun called out, “I’m sorry!”

       Sunggyu turned around. Woohyun rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip. “I won’t be late again.”

       Sunggyu pursed his lips and nodded slightly. Woohyun’s face seemed to light up at that. It was probably a much better response than the sharp glares he’d been receiving from him all day. Sunggyu hesitantly returned Woohyun’s small wave goodbye as he turned around and walked away.

       Woohyun seemed to get the message since he stopped skipping or showing up late to practice, but it came with the unfortunate addition of two new faces in the practice room. Two of his friends from the soccer team, Dongwoo and Hoya, would often laze about on the ratty couch, waiting for Woohyun to finish so they could drag him to soccer practice or private tutoring or whatever it was Woohyun did when he wasn’t at band practice, Sunggyu wasn’t really sure. Dongwoo seemed nice enough, but Hoya he wasn’t too sure about. He let them stay if they promised not to make too much noise, though why they would want to was beyond him.

       It was mid-May when they finally began to come together. After their first decent playthrough of their audition song--some old, familiar song from Nell--they erupted into cheers. Sunggyu hugged Myungsoo, but froze midway through a high-five with none other than Nam Woohyun himself.

       “Uh,” Sunggyu blinked, the two of them standing there awkwardly. He cleared his throat and patted Woohyun’s shoulder. “Good work.”

       “Thanks,” Woohyun mumbled, moving his hand back to the body of his guitar. Sunggyu sent him one last look before signalling for them to start again.

       The atmosphere remained uncomfortable as they walked together after practice. Sungjong wasn’t even there to break up the tension with some ridiculous story about some ridiculous classmate or teacher. When they reached the place where they would part, Sunggyu stopped and cleared his throat.

       “Sorry,” he said, shifting on his feet as he looked at Woohyun’s confused expression. “For making you feel bad about walking back with me.”

       “Oh!” Woohyun said, letting out relieved sigh. “That’s fine! I know I can get a little overbearing sometimes.”

       “No! I mean--” Sunggyu sighed in frustration. Why was it so hard to talk to Woohyun like a normal person? “I know I can be kind of an asshole sometimes.”

       “I know,” Woohyun smiled. Sunggyu scowled and kicked the ground.

       “Yeah, well,” he mumbled, “I’ll try to be less of one from now on.”

       Sunggyu stuck out his hand to shake. Woohyun grinned as he took it, and Sunggyu let out a sigh of relief that whatever uncomfortable atmosphere that had fallen around them seemed to lift. For the first time, he felt a twinge of regret when he waved goodbye.

       As tryouts approached, Sunggyu was pretty sure--no, he  _ knew _ \--that he was becoming a horrible nag. It was nerves, all nerves, but they had to be  _ perfect _ . He hadn’t practiced until his throat was sore and his fingers bled just to fail before things even started. The practice room grew tense as the date approached, a Thursday circled in red on the calendar that hung on the wall. It didn’t help that it was growing hot out, and since their “practice room” was a glorified toolshed, of course it didn’t have air conditioning.

       Sweat was dripping down Sunggyu’s temple as he called for a break. They had three days to go, and they had been meeting up to practice nearly every day now. Dongwoo, Hoya, and even Sungjong had stopped showing up. It was too hot and everyone was growing uncomfortable at Sunggyu’s increasingly short temper.

       He set his guitar aside and laid down on the floor, trying to move as little as possible. Myungsoo was strewn over the couch, and Sungyeol was on the floor beside him, leaning his head against the arm. Woohyun sat with his legs crossed a few feet away.

       “Hoya’s older brother is still cool with driving us, right?” Sunggyu turned his head to look at Woohyun.

       “Yeah, I talked to him yesterday,” Woohyun replied, closing his eyes.

       “Good.”

       They didn’t say anything for a while after that. They simply laid there, shirts sticking to their skin uncomfortably, before Woohyun spoke up.

       “Let’s take a break.”

       Sunggyu blinked slowly at Woohyun. “We’re taking one right now.”

       “No, let’s take a  _ break _ ,” Woohyun said, gesturing vaguely into the air, “Let’s get out of here and do something fun.”

       Sunggyu frowned. “This is fun.”

       Sungyeol barked out a laugh from across the room. Sunggyu scowled at him, but he was too lazy to search for something to throw at him. “Even you can’t believe this is fun, hyung,” he said, reaching up to wipe sweat from his brow, “If you don’t let us go play for a bit then Woohyun’s our new leader.”

       “Yah, that’s not funny,” Sunggyu growled.

       “Who said it was a joke?” he replied, nudging Myungsoo with his elbow. “Right, Myungsoo?”

       Myungsoo gave a noncommittal grunt in response and Sungyeol gave Sunggyu a look that said  _ See? _

       Sunggyu cursed and pushed himself to sit up. “Fine. Where do you want to go?”

       “Ice cream!” Sungyeol shouted as he jumped to his feet. Myungsoo and Woohyun pushed themselves up to stand as well and Sunggyu sighed. He glared at Woohyun’s outstretched hand before he took it and let himself be pulled up.

       Sunggyu groaned in relief as the entered the air conditioned convenience store across the street from the school. Sungyeol was already at the freezer, holding as many ice cream products as he could carry. He briefly considered reminding him that he couldn’t eat them all before they melted, but decided it wasn’t worth it.

       As he scanned the freezer for the cheapest option, he felt Woohyun walk up behind him. He jumped when Woohyun reached his arm around him to point.

       “You should get that one. It’s the best,” he said. Sunggyu stepped aside and let him take two popsicles in orange wrappers. Rather than handing him one, Woohyun turned and began to walk toward the registers.

       “Hey, wait!” Sunggyu jogged forward to snatch the ice cream from Woohyun’s hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”

       “Paying for you?” Woohyun said, taking the ice cream back to set on the counter in front of the register.

       Sunggyu gritted his teeth. “Why the hell are you paying for me?”

       “Think of it as service,” Woohyun hummed as he pulled out his wallet.

       Sunggyu reached out to grab the wallet but Woohyun was too fast. Sliding the cash across the counter he blocked Sunggyu from reaching for it with his entire body. After a moment, Sunggyu cursed, “Damn it, Woohyun, I don’t need your fucking charity!”

       Woohyun groaned and turned around to grip Sunggyu’s shoulders. “Fine! Then this is me thanking you for letting me in the band.”

       Sunggyu stopped struggling as the store clerk slid Woohyun’s change back across the counter. Woohyun grabbed the ice cream and handed Sunggyu his share. He followed Woohyun bitterly out of the store where Sungyeol and Myungsoo were already waiting for them.

       “What took you so long, hyung?” Sungyeol asked, already on his second popsicle. Myungsoo raised his brows at them as he ate a small spoonful of chocolate ice cream.

       “Sunggyu couldn’t make up his mind,” Woohyun said jokingly, nudging Sunggyu’s arm with his elbow. Sunggyu scowled at his smug expression and opened the packaging of the popsicle. He scowled deeper when he tasted it and it was delicious.

       They wandered aimlessly down the street until they came upon a small park with a fountain in the middle. Sitting down around the rim, they took off their shoes and stuck their feet in to cool down. Sunggyu leaned back and fanned his shirt as Woohyun loosened the tie to his uniform. Sungyeol kicked his feet and splashed water on Myungsoo until Myungsoo shoved him into the fountain. Sungyeol shouted and pulled Myungsoo by the shirt into the fountain as well.

       Sunggyu sighed at their childish antics. “If you’re going to splash around like that do it on the other side so I don’t get wet too.”

       Sungyeol laughed deviously and gathered water in his hand to throw at Sunggyu’s face, but one sharp look was all it took to send him scurrying to the other side of the fountain obediently. Woohyun laughed and said, “You sure have a way with words, don’t you?”

       “Who else is going to keep these kids in line?” Sunggyu smiled. “You?”

       Woohyun grimaced. “I don’t think I have the constitution.”

       Sunggyu laughed and kicked his feet, watching as the water shimmered in the sun. He looked at the water thoughtfully for a moment before speaking. “I owe you now, you know.”

       “For what?” Woohyun snorted.

       “For the ice cream,” Sunggyu replied, kicking his foot so some of the water hit Woohyun’s leg. “So tell me what you want in exchange.”

       Woohyun smiled and said, “I’ll think about it and get back to you.”

       Sunggyu pouted. “You know, you--”

       He was cut off by a sudden shout and a large wave of water soaking Woohyun’s left side. Woohyun yelped and backed away until his shoulder bumped against Sunggyu’s. Woohyun shouted at Myungsoo to take down Sungyeol once and for all as Sungyeol skipped away cheerfully. Sunggyu felt himself slowly relax where his arm was still touching Woohyun’s.

       Woohyun didn’t move his arm away and neither did Sunggyu. Not when the sun began to set, not when Sungyeol finally climbed out of the fountain and began to wring out his shirt. It wasn’t until Myungsoo said “we’d better head back” that Sunggyu stood up and offered his hand to Woohyun. With an unreadable look, Woohyun took it, and the four of them began their journey back to the practice room.

       The day of their audition, a Thursday, Sunggyu let practice wrap up early and decided to skip cram school. Their audition time wasn’t until 11, but they all needed the rest. He was walking next to Woohyun, on his way home, when Woohyun received a call.

       “Hello? Hoya?”

       Sunggyu looked at him curiously. He watched the way Woohyun furrowed his brows before asking, “So what are you saying?”

       Sunggyu felt his stomach twist as Woohyun’s confused expression slowly morphed into a “we’re well and truly fucked” one. Woohyun slowed down and eventually came to a stop. Sunggyu nervously adjusted the strap of his bag.

       “You can’t be serious,” Woohyun asked, tongue darting out to wet his lips, “But he promised!”

       Sunggyu paled as Woohyun nodded pathetically, thanking Hoya before hanging up. Woohyun took a breath before speaking. “Hoya’s brother can’t drive us.”

       “What!?” Sunggyu began to panic. “He can’t be serious, you spoke to him, what, two days ago?”

       Woohyun nodded, chewing on his lower lip. “Something came up, apparently.”

       “Oh, god,” Sunggyu whimpered, reaching out to lean on the concrete wall lining the sidewalk. “This can’t be happening.”

       “Shit, don’t panic, uh,” Woohyun motioned helplessly, unsure of what to do with his hands, “Let’s figure something out!”

       “It’s over. We’re totally done for,” Sunggyu mumbled, hanging his head.

       Woohyun ran fingers through his hair, desperately thinking of what they could do. Sunggyu began to curse. It was so  _ unfair _ , who did Hoya’s brother think he was? He had promised. His truck was the only way to transport all of their equipment to the venue in one piece. After all of that fucking practice, they weren’t even going to get to play?

       “I’ve got it!” Woohyun shouted, startling Sunggyu from his racing thoughts.

       “What is it?”

       “I’ve figured out how to fix this,” Woohyun said as he checked the time on his phone. “You know how my parents are in the restaurant business?”

       “Yeah…” Sunggyu replied, unsure of what he was getting at.

       “Well, they use these big vans for catering gigs.” Woohyun gestured with his hands to show how big they were. “We could totally fit everything in one of them!”

       Sunggyu frowned. “We still don’t have someone to drive us.”

       “I’ll drive us!” Woohyun said, excited now that he had solved their problem.

       Sunggyu laughed. “You know how to drive? Do you even have a license?”

       The way Woohyun bit his lip at the question was almost endearing, Sunggyu thought. Almost. “I don’t… but my parents let me drive one before, just down the street.”

       “And your parents would be fine with this?” Sunggyu asked.

       “What they don’t know won’t kill them,” Woohyun replied, reaching out to grab Sunggyu’s arm. “This is our only shot, Gyu.”

       Sunggyu pouted at the nickname, but didn’t say anything. Instead he thought about how insane Woohyun’s plan was. It was even scarier that he was considering it. “You’re fucking crazy, Nam Woohyun.”

       “But a good kind of crazy, right?” Woohyun grinned.

       Sunggyu’s heart began to race when he thought about what they were about to do. He laughed, “Yeah, the good kind.”

       They waited until nightfall. Sunggyu and Woohyun crouched behind a dumpster at the end of the alley where the van was parked. The air was filled with the sounds of the night unfolding: muffled conversations inside the restaurant, the sound of traffic speeding down the main street, and their breaths, slow and steady to calm their pounding hearts.

       When the coast was clear, Woohyun undid the lock on the car with the spare key he’d stolen from the sock drawer of his parents’ dresser. Sunggyu crawled into the passenger seat as Woohyun moved to start the engine. Sunggyu’s stomach dropped as he saw someone crack open the door that led to the back of the kitchen.

       “Hurry!” he hissed, lightly punching Woohyun’s shoulder.

       Woohyun turned to glare at him. “What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?”

       “We don’t have time for this,” Sunggyu said as he grabbed Woohyun’s hand and guided the key into the ignition and turned. The van roared to life, and at the same time he saw a shadow appear in the doorway, Sunggyu shouted “Go!”

       Woohyun panicked, and the car jolted forward as his foot slammed on the accelerator. Sunggyu reached for his seatbelt, but was thrown against Woohyun’s shoulder by the force of their turn as they sped out of the alley, onto the main street.

       They were headed for the school where Myungsoo and Sungyeol were waiting for them with the equipment and instruments they had stored in the practice room. Sunggyu hadn’t told them that Woohyun technically didn’t know how to drive, but they’d be alright. Probably. He reached for the armrest as Woohyun made another sharp turn.

       “Can you slow the fuck down?” He seethed, clutching his heart which seemed like it would break free of his chest at any minute.

       Woohyun gave a breathless laugh. “Not if you want to make it on time.”

       Sunggyu closed his eyes and prayed, clasping the seatbelt like he would a rosary. Woohyun laughed harder at the sight of Sunggyu’s lips moving in a silent petition to  _ please God let them live to see the sun rise _ . He cheered as they sped into the night.

       They arrived in one piece, or at least Sunggyu was pretty sure they did, since he had clenched his eyes shut for most of the trip. His legs shook as he stumbled out of the van, and he quickly went to help Myungsoo and Sungyeol load everything into the back.

       “Are you sure it’s okay for us to do this?” Myungsoo asked as he quietly set down a snare drum.

       Sunggyu shrugged. “No, I’m not, but what choice do we have?”

       “C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Sungyeol said, grinning and shoving Myungsoo with his shoulder.

       Myungsoo gave a small smile. “Sungjong’s going to be pissed you didn’t invite him.”

       Sunggyu laughed and slung an arm around Myungsoo’s shoulder, and they walked together to grab another piece of equipment. When they were done, Sungyeol and Myungsoo climbed into the back with the equipment and Sunggyu climbed shakily back into the passenger seat.

       His fingers were like claws as he clutched Woohyun’s arm. Woohyun’s hand moved automatically to rest on top of Sunggyu’s reassuringly. His arm was stupidly muscular for a soccer player, Sunggyu thought. “Please don’t kill us all.”

       “You should learn to trust me more.”

       Sunggyu rolled his eyes at Woohyun’s stupid grin, but relaxed a bit into the seat as they took off again. Woohyun drove a little more carefully now that their delicate cargo was in the back (“Glad to see you value the instruments over my  _ life _ ,” Sunggyu hissed), and Sunggyu let out a sigh of relief as they pulled into the parking lot of the audition venue.

       It was a theater, mostly used for community plays, and inside there was a small auditorium where the bands would set up. Woohyun pulled up to one of the loading docks where they could safely unload everything. Sungyeol’s drum set took the longest, as Sunggyu barely trusted him to carry the cymbals inside safely, let alone the bass drum which took the combined strength of him and Woohyun to carry.

       They had barely made it there before their time slot, so there was no time to squeeze in one last rehearsal. Sunggyu knew they were ready, but he still couldn’t calm down.

       “Relax,” Woohyun said as he watched Sunggyu wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans for the third time.

       “Easy for you to say,” Sunggyu muttered, looking away.

       “Sunggyu, we  _ stole _ a car to get here. I’d say the scary part is over, for you at least.”

       Sunggyu bit his lip, guilty. That was right; Woohyun had certainly risked more to get them here. His gut twisted uncomfortably when he remembered all the times he accused Woohyun of taking the band as a joke.

       “Sorry,” he mumbled.

       Woohyun raised his brows. “What for?”

       “For saying that you didn’t care about the band and stuff.”

       “Nah, I understand,” Woohyun shrugged, “And you were right. I didn’t really get why you cared so much about this stuff.”

       “And now you do?”

       Woohyun looked at Sunggyu for a moment. “I’m starting to.”

       Before Sunggyu could ask him what he meant, they heard the cue that it was time for them to head up for their final sound check. When they gave the sound booth their thumbs up, it was time to start. Sunggyu’s finger shook as he tapped the mic and cleared his throat.

       “We’re Coma Beat, and we’re going to play ‘Time Spent Walking Through Memories.’”

       The judges sitting in the front row nodded for them to begin. As the opening notes rang from Woohyun’s guitar, Sunggyu closed his eyes and breathed. Still high on adrenaline, he began to sing.

       When Sunggyu was on stage, the rest of the world faded away. The only thing that mattered was the people playing alongside him. Sungyeol behind him, Myungsoo to his right, and Woohyun to his left, playing with everything he had. Time didn’t exist. It was like--one minute he began to sing, and the music carried him until the end.

       When the last note ended, Sunggyu didn’t know how they did. He didn’t think the other guys knew either. And in that moment, it finally didn’t matter. Whatever the outcome was, all they could do was wait. That lack of control would have terrified him at one point, but for some reason, he wasn’t scared anymore. Not when they they had the windows down and the radio blasting as they drove all the way home.

       They dropped the equipment back off at the practice room, then dropped Sungyeol off at his house. He waved at them as he hopped out the back of the van.

       “My little brother said he’d cover for me, so don’t worry about me,” he said cheerily before walking up the path do his front door. He gave one last wave, and they continued on their way to Myungsoo’s house.

       Myungsoo closed the van door quietly behind him. He walked around to the passenger side and looked up at Sunggyu.

       “I’m kind of surprised you did this, hyung,” he said quietly, “but it’s a good surprise. See you guys later.”

       They idled on the side of the road, waiting until Myungsoo was at his door before taking off. Woohyun had turned the volume of the radio down, and they sat in comfortable silence as Woohyun made his way to Sunggyu’s apartment.

       It was a strange kind of calm Sunggyu felt as he watched the streetlights rush past them. They cast an orange light inside the car, and the streets were all but deserted. It was a part of the quiet that came after midnight, when the rest of the world had already fallen asleep. It was like a completely different planet, one that only those who were willing to wait for it were lucky enough to see.

       It was almost two by the time they pulled up to Sunggyu’s apartment building. Sunggyu unbuckled his seatbelt, but hesitated to open the door.

       “Thanks,” he said quietly, meeting Woohyun’s startled eyes, “thank you for doing this.”

       Woohyun smiled at that. “No need to thank me, leader.”

       “Yah, I’m trying to be nice.”

       “I know you are,” Woohyun laughed lightly, then turned serious. “Sunggyu… are we friends?”

       Sunggyu opened the car door and looked back. “What’s with that?” He reached out to tousle Woohyun’s hair. “Of course we are.”

       Woohyun grinned as Sunggyu got out and closed the door softly behind him. Sunggyu gave one last wave before turning around and heading inside the building. Woohyun didn’t leave until the front door had closed and Sunggyu was out of sight.

       Sunggyu held his breath as he approached the door to the apartment he shared with his mother. There was a chance she had decided to work overtime that day, in which case she might not even be home yet. There was an even bigger chance she was already in bed, asleep.

       Of course, neither of those things were true, because when Sunggyu quietly shut the door behind him, he turned around to find his mother sitting in the armchair in the living room, completely awake and unhappy, to say the least.

       He and Woohyun showed up to school the next day with matching red handprints on their cheeks. They grinned in silent camaraderie as they passed each other in the hallway. Sunggyu slept through most of his classes, and when they were over he rushed to the practice room where Woohyun was already waiting.

       “So you got caught?” Woohyun asked as Sunggyu set his bag down.

       “Yeah, my mom’s really pissed. I told her I was just studying with a friend and lost track of time which is probably the only reason I’m still alive right now.”

       Woohyun chuckled and stretched out on the couch. “At least there weren’t cops outside your door when you got home.”

       Sunggyu fumbled and almost dropped his sheet music he was holding. “You’re kidding.”

       “Nope,” Woohyun grinned, “They called the police and everything.”

       He held a finger up to stop Sunggyu from speaking before he could apologize. “Don’t worry about me. My parents are actually too busy blaming each other right now to come up with a punishment.”

       “You’re a lucky bastard,” Sunggyu said, but there was no malice behind his words. Instead, there was just a warm smile on his face that came from some feeling inside his chest Sunggyu wasn’t quite able to place. They were both quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say, until Sungyeol burst into the room, Myungsoo following close behind.

       “They’re up!” he shouted as he dug through his backpack and pulled out a laptop. “They posted the results!”

       They crowded around Sungyeol as he pulled up the website. Sunggyu’s eyes clenched shut involuntarily, and he felt his stomach twist into knots and bows. He felt Woohyun put a hand on his shoulder and slowly opened his eyes.

       Only twenty bands had made it. Their eyes slowly scanned down the list and with each name that wasn’t theirs, their hearts sunk a little lower in their chests. Suddenly, Myungsoo called out.

       “There!” he shouted, pointing to band number twenty. Sunggyu’s mouth dropped. He felt Woohyun’s grip tighten on his shoulder.

       There they were. They had barely made it. Sunggyu’s face split into a smile and he began to laugh in relief. His shoulders relaxed and he felt Woohyun’s hand drop to his bicep. Sungyeol closed his laptop and hugged it to his chest as he jumped up and down. Myungsoo broke out into the widest grin Sunggyu had ever seen on him. And Woohyun--Woohyun stiffened against him when Sunggyu turned to pull him into a hug.

       “We did it,” he said softly, his hand gripping the back of Woohyun’s shirt tightly.

       Woohyun hesitantly circled his arms around Sunggyu’s waist. “Yeah, we did.”

       Sunggyu quickly let go and moved on to hug Myungsoo next, not noticing the way Woohyun’s eyes lingered on him for a few moments after. They smiled all the way through practice, and when it was over, Woohyun tagged along behind Sunggyu as usual. Sungjong was waiting for them at the gates.

       Sunggyu waved wildly and jogged over to him. Sungjong bounced up and down impatiently. “Did you make it?”

       Sunggyu grinned. Sungjong’s eyes went wide and he pulled Sunggyu into a hug. His voice was muffled in Sunggyu’s shirt as he said, “I’m still mad at you.”

       “I know,” Sunggyu said as he hugged Sungjong close, “You would have gotten in trouble though.”

       “I don’t care,” he whined, pulling back.

       He pouted as Sunggyu ruffled his hair. “I do though. Your mom would kill me if anything happened to you.”

       They walked together as far as the corner where Sunggyu and Sungjong’s cram school was. Sungjong turned around in confusion as Sunggyu stopped walking. Sunggyu smiled sadly at him.

       “This is as far as I go today,” he said, shrugging helplessly. Woohyun stared at Sunggyu wordlessly.

       “What are you talking about, hyung?” Sungjong asked. “Midterms are in a month, right?”

       “They are, it’s just..” Sunggyu hesitated, sparing a quick glance at Woohyun, “I’m not going to cram school anymore.”

       “What? Why?” Sungjong whined.

       Sunggyu bit his lip, choosing his words carefully. “I’m just… not, Sungjong. I can’t say why.” He cut off any protests before Sungjong could say them by ruffling his hair again. “I’ll still tutor you on weekends, okay?”

       Sungjong nodded sadly. He turned to leave and gave one last small wave to where Woohyun and Sunggyu still stood. Sunggyu chuckled as he left. “He’s acting like it’s the end of the world.”

       “Why  _ aren’t _ you going?” Woohyun asked quietly. He had been silent up until then, not quite sure where he fit in relative to the close relationship Sunggyu and Sungjong already had.

       “You think I’m going to tell you and not Sungjong?” Sunggyu raised a brow. Woohyun flushed.

       “Fair enough,” he muttered. He jogged to catch up to where Sunggyu had walked ahead. “Where are you going?”

       “Home,” Sunggyu replied, coming to a stop. “Where are  _ you _ going?”

       Woohyun blinked. “Uh--I’m going home too.”

       “You don’t live in this direction,” Sunggyu deadpanned. Woohyun flushed; he had been caught.

       “I’m taking the long way home,” he muttered, looking away. Sunggyu smiled at how the tips of his ears were turning pink. What a weird guy, he thought.

       They were silent after that, the atmosphere awkward. They walked a little ways further before Woohyun spoke up. “How are you studying for midterms?”

       “Huh?” Sunggyu looked up at the sudden question. “I guess I’ll study on my own. Why?”

       “Just--I was wondering if you wanted to study together,” Woohyun said, scratching the back of his neck. Sunggyu tilted his head.

       “Don’t you have your own prep school or private tutor or something?” he asked quizzically.

       Woohyun laughed breathlessly. “Forget it, I--just forget it. Sorry.”

       “No! No, I--” Sunggyu said, reaching out to grab Woohyun’s arm before he could walk away, “It’s fine. We can study together. I just don’t know why you’d want to.”

       “Oh.”

       They both stood there, their eyes looking at anything and everything aside from each other’s faces. Sunggyu didn’t really know why he felt embarrassed.

       “Then…” Woohyun said slowly, “Should we study at your place?”

       Sunggyu grimaced. “Let’s just go to the library.”

       “Okay.”

       It was odd, Sunggyu thought, that a week ago he had felt annoyed even looking at Woohyun’s face. Now he was leading him to the neighborhood library so they could study together. Woohyun had asked if they were friends and he’d replied yes, but were they really? It was an odd thing to ask in the first place, wasn’t it? If you had to ask, then you probably weren’t friends, but Sunggyu didn’t really know how else to classify the odd existence that was Nam Woohyun.

       Despite Sunggyu’s misgivings about Woohyun’s mysterious motivations for studying in a decaying library with some guy he’d only been friends with for a few days, the evening passed rather normally. Long after the sun went down and the library began to close, they bid each other goodbye.

       “Are you sure you can get home from here?” Sunggyu asked, glancing around the dark street worriedly.

       Woohyun smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. But thanks.”

       Sunggyu waved goodbye and headed home, still unsure, but Woohyun must have found a safe way home since he showed up at practice that weekend unscathed.

       It was an unspoken promise that became a routine: on days when they had band practice, Sunggyu and Woohyun would walk to the library afterwards to study together. Sunggyu had no idea what Woohyun was getting out of this. Sunggyu would tutor him in subjects he was weak in, but surely his parents could afford a professional? But Woohyun didn’t offer to explain, so Sunggyu stopped asking, and things seemed to work out that way.

       Midterms were scheduled to be held just before the culture festival, and slowly the practice room began to look like one of those zombie horror films Sungjong always made Sunggyu watch. It was one week before their performance, the last school day before exams started, and they were making mistakes--sloppy ones. Even Sungyeol was quiet as he focused on not falling asleep at his drum set. When practice wrapped up, Sunggyu and Woohyun shuffled quietly to the library, barely able to keep their heads up to watch where they were going.

       “Do you understand it now?” Sunggyu asked, passing the practice test back to Woohyun where he had sloppily written how to solve one of the harder math problems.

       “I think so,” Woohyun replied, chewing on his lip.

       Sunggyu yawned. “Then see if you can do the next problem correctly.”

       Woohyun read the problem carefully and began mapping out possible solutions. When he thought he had gotten the right one he looked up, only to find Sunggyu asleep with his head on his arms. He was pouting in his sleep. A nightmare? Woohyun laid his head in his arms and watched him.

       He thought Sunggyu’s lips were really pretty for a guy’s. They weren’t too thick like Woohyun’s or too thin like Myungsoo’s, and they were incredibly expressive. They pretty much made Sunggyu an open book, Woohyun mused, unconsciously breaking into a smile. It wasn’t until he was perhaps five centimeters away from Sunggyu’s face that Woohyun realized he had been slowly inching forward.

       He pulled back, inhaling sharply. That was weird. That was really, really weird. He tried to rub the color from his cheeks as he felt Sunggyu begin to stir next to him.

       “Fuck,” Sunggyu yawned, sitting upright in his chair and stretching his arms, “How long was I asleep?”

       Woohyun ducked his head and stared hard at the practice test. “Uh, maybe ten minutes?”

       “Oh. Are you done?” Sunggyu asked, reaching over to slide the practice test towards him before Woohyun could protest. He tried to calm the strange pounding in his heart as Sunggyu scanned his solution for errors.

       “Good job,” Sunggyu said, sliding the paper back. Woohyun jumped.

       “What? Oh, thanks.”

       Sunggyu narrowed his eyes at Woohyun. He was acting weird and tense and so… not Woohyun. “Is something wrong?”

       “N-no,” Woohyun mumbled, picking up his pencil to move on to the next problem. “Let’s hurry. I want to finish this before the library closes.”

       Sunggyu pursed his lips but left him alone, turning back to focus on his own practice test. Woohyun would have to tell him eventually or else go back to normal, he figured. He could wait.

       Or, that was what he thought. But as the culture festival drew closer, Woohyun stayed weird. It was like he was avoiding him, and it made Sunggyu nervous. After Wednesday’s practice, Sunggyu tried to corner him. He blocked Woohyun’s exit from the room and asked, “Why are you acting so weird?”

       Woohyun tried to move around him, but was blocked at every turn. “I’m not being weird.”

       “You’re avoiding me.”

       “I’m not, I just--” Woohyun sighed and ran fingers through his hair. “I promised Hoya and Dongwoo I’d study with them today, so can you please move?”

       Sunggyu scoffed, but stepped aside as Woohyun pushed past him and out the door. He kicked the floor after Woohyun slammed the door behind him. What the hell was his problem? Sunggyu shouldered his bag and began the trek to the library by himself.

       His phone buzzed well after the sun had gone down. It was a text from Woohyun that simply said ‘ _ sorry _ .’ Sunggyu scowled and pushed his phone away. If he wanted to act sorry, doing so in person was the least he could do. It buzzed several more times that evening until Sunggyu turned it off completely.

       If Woohyun had acted weirdly before now it was just kind of pathetic. He kept giving Sunggyu these  _ looks _ like  _ he _ was the one who was hurt. They were definitely puppy eyes, Sunggyu decided, so it was a good thing Sunggyu hated dogs.

       Sunggyu tried to focus on how they sounded instead. Despite everyone’s exhaustion, they had decided to practice Thursday since it was the last time they’d be able to do so before the culture festival. At least exams were over. He sighed as they finished another run-through of the song.

       “Woohyun, you’re distracted,” Sunggyu said, leaning on the mic stand for support.

       “No I’m not,” he muttered, kicking the floor and sending Sunggyu another pout. Sunggyu rolled his eyes.

       “Fine, let’s take a ten minute break.”

       Sungyeol whooped and jumped towards the door. “I’ve had to piss for the last twenty minutes!”

       Sunggyu grimaced and waved for him to go. Myungsoo stared at Woohyun and Sunggyu quietly before saying, “I think I’m going to take a drink of water.”

       When they were alone, Woohyun sighed. “Will you please talk to me?”

       “You sure you wouldn’t rather talk to your soccer buddies?” Sunggyu said without turning around.

       “You know what I mean.”

       Sunggyu sighed and turned to face him. “Fine, we’re talking.”

       “I’m sorry.”

       Sunggyu chewed on his lip before responding. “What are you sorry for?”

       “For ditching you yesterday,” he replied. Sunggyu scoffed, but before he could turn back around Woohyun continued, “and for acting weird.”

       Sunggyu shifted uncomfortably on his feet. He really hated the awkward atmosphere that had surrounded them again. He hesitated before asking, “Are you going to tell me why?”

       Woohyun’s eyes widened before he looked down. He swallowed dryly and struggled to respond. After a moment of his stuttering Sunggyu held up a hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to--”

       “It’s not that I don’t want to!” Woohyun interrupted, taking a step forward. “It’s just, I don’t really know how…”

       His words petered off and he sighed. Sunggyu smiled ruefully. He took a step forward and rested a hand on Woohyun’s shoulder. “It’s fine, just--you can tell me when you’re ready.”

       Woohyun nodded and rested his hand on top of Sunggyu’s where it had fallen to squeeze his arm. They both jumped as the door opened and Sungyeol and Myungsoo burst through. Sunggyu quickly withdrew his arm and went back to his place in the center. As soon as everyone had their instruments back in their hands, Sunggyu signaled for them to play the song again.

       The day of the performance Sunggyu was nervous. He was nervous to perform, of course--that was a given. But he was also nervous because Woohyun was nowhere to be found. He was tapping his foot on the ground impatiently as he stood by the gate when someone tapped his shoulder from behind.

       He felt his shoulders sag in relief, assuming it must be Woohyun, but, no, it was just Sungjong. Sungjong pouted when Sunggyu’s scowl returned and he said, “Oh, it’s you.”

       “Be nice,” Sungjong hissed. “What’s up with you?”

       “Woohyun isn’t here.”

       “Did you agree to meet here?”

       Sunggyu sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “No, but he should be here by now.”

       “He’s probably hanging out with his other friends,” Sungjong replied, tugging on Sunggyu’s shoulder to pull him toward the school. “Just because you don’t have any other friends doesn’t mean Woohyun should have to live like a loser too.”

       Sunggyu shoved him hard, and Sungjong was barely able to keep his balance. Straightening his sleeve, Sungjong began to peer around before nervously asking, “Is Myungsoo-hyung here yet?”

       “Little kids who call me names don’t get to know his whereabouts,” Sunggyu replied, walking faster ahead.

       “Aw, hyung, it was just a joke,” Sungjong whined, jogging to catch up. “You need to relax and have fun! I hear one of the classes is doing a haunted house; we should go.”

       Sunggyu groaned. “Why does it have to be the haunted house?”

       “Ooh, are you scared? Don’t be, hyung, I’m here to protect you.”

       Sunggyu scoffed. “I’m not scared. I just don’t want to go with you, that’s all.”

       “Then you want to go with someone else?” Sungjong asked, smiling deviously. “Ah, I bet you want to go with Woohyun-hyung and that’s why you’re so mad he’s not here yet!”

       Sunggyu stopped walking to give Sungjong his best sneer of disgust. “That’s not funny, Jjongie.”

       Sungjong rolled his eyes. “Fine. Then if you’re going to be no fun, at least take me to see Myungsoo-hyung’s classroom.”

       “What is it with you and Myungsoo?” Sunggyu asked, nudging Sungjong with his elbow and missing the way Sungjong’s cheeks flushed.

       Sunggyu dropped Sungjong off at Myungsoo and Sungyeol’s classroom and left to continue searching for Woohyun. He wasn’t really interested in the festival anyways, so he had nothing better to do. Woohyun had to be  _ somewhere _ in the throngs of people crowding the hallways.

       It was less than thirty minutes until they went on and Woohyun was still nowhere to be found. Sunggyu paced the costuming area where his band had been made to wait for their allotted time for what must have been the hundredth time. Finally, Sungyeol snapped.

       “Just go out there and look for him again!” he groaned, “Or go get some fresh air, anything! You’re driving me crazy, hyung.”

       Sunggyu opened his mouth to lecture him, but sighed. Coming to a decision, he headed towards the door and muttered, “He’s so fucking dead when I find him.”

       It was surprisingly easy for Sunggyu to find Woohyun. He just followed other students until he came upon a crowd of people, most of whom were soccer members or girls who were aiming to  _ date _ soccer players. They were pushing in on a figure in the center, flanked by Hoya and Dongwoo.

       “Excuse me,” Sunggyu growled, pushing his way through the crowd until he reached the center. Woohyun was showing off his shiny red electric guitar, freshly polished and re-stringed for his performance. He paled visibly when his eyes met Sunggyu’s narrow glare.

       Woohyun mumbled apologies to the crowd and Sunggyu grabbed him by the arm and began to pull him away. Sunggyu didn’t look back at him because he knew that if he did he would scream--or worse. His hand dropped to tug Woohyun’s wrist along, but he never let go. Not when he caught the surprised stares of classmates, not until he all but threw Woohyun into the waiting room.

       “What the fuck did you think you were doing?” he shouted, startling his bandmates.

       “What the hell is your problem?” Woohyun snapped, setting his guitar aside so he could rub his wrist. “I was talking to some friends.”

       “You were bragging like an idiot to half the school,” Sunggyu spat, “Meanwhile, we had to cover your ass for final soundcheck.”

       “I was just getting people excited for our performance so they’d come and see us!”

       “You didn’t tell anyone!” They took a step closer to each other, fists clenched. Sungyeol and Myungsoo jumped up simultaneously to hold them back.

       “Okay, okay, take a breather, you guys!” Sungyeol said nervously, pushing Woohyun back as Myungsoo grabbed Sunggyu’s shoulders.

       Myungsoo sighed. “Woohyun, tell us next time if you’re going to be late,” he said. Sunggyu smiled triumphantly before Myungsoo continued, “And Sunggyu, relax. It’s not that big of a deal.”

       Sunggyu scoffed, but before he could protest, Myungsoo muttered, “It’s just nerves, hyung.”

       Sunggyu took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. Myungsoo was probably right; what Woohyun did was bad, but not worth coming to blows over. When he opened his eyes again, Woohyun was staring at him apologetically. But Sunggyu was tired of Woohyun apologizing, so he pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “I need some air.”

       He didn’t return until it was nearly time for them to go on. Upon his re-entry, Woohyun stood from where he sat tuning his guitar to apologize, but was cut off by the stage director calling the time. They had three minutes left.

       “Sunggyu, I’m--”

       “I don’t want to hear it, I just--” Sunggyu sighed. “I want to know that I can trust you. Can I trust you?”

       Woohyun nodded eagerly. “Yes, Sunggyu, yes, I--”

       “Good. That’s all I need to know.” Sunggyu turned away and waited to be called to the stage. Woohyun’s words died in his throat as he watched him. Sunggyu could feel him staring. He felt him staring as they walked on stage to the applause of the audience, and he caught him still staring halfway through the song.

       Their performance went well, better than Sunggyu had expected. Despite Woohyun showing up late he was completely prepared, and Sunggyu couldn’t really ask much more of him, he guessed. The cheers from the audience encouraged him, and he hoped at least some of them would be willing to show up to their Battle of the Bands performance.

       When it was over, Sunggyu quickly wiped the sweat from his face and left to find Sungjong. He found him waiting outside the lobby of the theater. Sungjong’s face split into a wide smile as he watched Sunggyu approach. He pulled him into a hug.

       “You guys were amazing,” Sungjong said, squeezing him tightly.

       Sunggyu pulled back and laughed. “Thanks, Jjongie.”

       “I told you Woohyun would show.”

       Sunggyu frowned. “I don’t want to talk about him.”

       Sungjong tilted his head, and before he could ask why not, they both turned when they heard the clamoring of students down the hall. Woohyun had entered the lobby and was surrounded by male and female students alike, congratulating him on the performance. Woohyun sent one last look to Sunggyu before giving in and basking in the crowd’s affection.

       “He seems popular,” Sungjong commented dryly as Sunggyu turned away and started to exit the building. It was stupid, so stupid, Sunggyu thought, the performance was over so there was no reason for him to be feeling irritated by Woohyun hanging around all those people. Logically, it was a good thing as it meant more people might show up to support them at battle of the bands. Sunggyu frowned, then shook his head and kept walking.

       It wasn’t until later that night as he lay in bed, exhausted, that Sunggyu’s phone rang. He fumbled for it on the nightstand and answered it, not bothering to check who it was.

       “Hello?” he croaked, voice husky from exhaustion.

       “Um,” the voice on the other side of the line paused, “Sunggyu? It’s Woohyun.”

       Sunggyu pushed himself up and stifled a yawn. “Oh? What’s wrong?”

       “Nothing’s wrong. I just--I wanted to apologize.”

       Sunggyu hummed. “For what? I told you that you didn’t need to.”

       “I don’t know I just… wanted to.” Woohyun paused to sigh. “I feel like I’m always apologizing to you.”

       “I’m sorry too, Hyun,” he replied sleepily. Sunggyu could swear he heard Woohyun’s voice catch at the nickname. “Sorry for always making you feel like you have to apologize.”

       “It’s okay.” Woohyun was quiet for a moment. “Friends?”

       Sunggyu smiled at the question. Why did he keep asking that? “Of course, stupid. Just tell me if you’re going to be late next time.”

       Woohyun laughed quietly. “Okay. Goodnight, Sunggyu.”

       Sunggyu whispered a goodnight back and hung up the phone. He sighed. He was becoming way too soft.


	2. [2/2]

       Practices became easier after that. There was no longer the impending doom of exams lingering over them (for the meantime) and Sunggyu and Woohyun fought less.

       It was another stiflingly hot afternoon in the practice room when Sunggyu’s phone buzzed. He called for a break and went to check it. It was an email from the Battle of the Bands committee regarding the rules and setlist for the event. Sunggyu paled as he read through it.

       Woohyun slowly creeped up behind him. “Something wrong?”

       “Uh.” Sunggyu was frozen, unable to form proper words. When Woohyun frowned and grabbed the phone from his hand, Sunggyu couldn’t even respond. As Woohyun read through the message his brows shot up.

       “One of the songs we perform has to be original?”

       Myungsoo and Sungyeol began to crowd around the tiny phone screen too. Myungsoo frowned. “But we have original songs.”

       Sunggyu groaned and threw himself on the worn-out couch. “It has to be a  _ new _ song, one that we haven’t performed before.” He threw an arm over his eyes. “We have to write music and lyrics for a song good enough to win and we only have--” He reached out his arm to count on his fingers. “--two months to do it.”

       Sungyeol smiled. “Aw, hyung, don’t worry! I bet you’ll come up with something great!”

       Sunggyu shot him a glare. “Yeah, no pressure or anything.”

       The other three band members shifted awkwardly in their feet for a moment, unsure of what to say. After a moment Myungsoo walked over to the couch and extended his hand to pull him up. “I guess we better start preparing.”

       After practice, instead of packing up to leave, Sunggyu plopped down on the couch and began to strum seemingly random cords, his brows creased in concentration. Sungyeol looked back before he left with Myungsoo and asked, “Hyung, aren’t you leaving?”

       “Nah, I’m gonna stay here and start on the song,” he grunted, repositioning his hand along the neck of the guitar.

       Sungyeol shrugged at Myungsoo and they left, leaving Woohyun and Sunggyu alone in the room. Woohyun hesitated at the doorway, adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder. “Are you really staying?”

       Sunggyu paused his playing and looked up at him silently for a moment before returning to his previous task. Woohyun set down his bag and began to take his guitar back out of its case. Sunggyu frowned. “What are you doing?”

       “What does it look like?” he replied, looping the strap around his shoulders, “I’m staying to help you.”

       Sunggyu scoffed. “Have you ever written a song before?”

       “No,” Woohyun shrugged, sitting down at the opposite end of the couch, “but I can learn.”

       Sunggyu pursed his lips. He watched Woohyun pluck random notes, obviously with no clear sense of direction. After a moment, he couldn’t take it any longer and blurted, “You have no idea what you’re doing.”

       “Then teach me,” Woohyun said without moving his gaze from where his fingers sat on the fingerboard.

       He continued to pluck random cords until Sunggyu reached out and stilled the hand on the fret with his own. He shook his head and said, “You can’t just play random chords until something comes to you. You need to think of a melody in your head first.”

       “How am I supposed to do that without playing chords?” Woohyun asked, creasing his brow.

       “I don’t know you just--” Sunggyu bit his lip as he tried to think of an explanation, but Woohyun’s intense stare was making it difficult. “Have you ever just started whistling a random tune? It’s like that, but with the guitar.”

       Woohyun still looked confused, so Sunggyu shifted his guitar and began to play. It was a simple three-chord melody that only lasted for about fifteen seconds, but Woohyun thought it sounded pleasant. When it was over, Sunggyu looked up at him again. He jumped slightly when he saw how close Woohyun had moved to him. He cleared his throat and said, “W-well, it’d sound better on an acoustic, but something like that basically. Now you try.”

       Woohyun scooted back and placed his hand on the fingerboard. He clenched his eyes shut, trying to come up with some kind of melody. After a moment, he sighed and reopened them. “I can’t come up with anything,” he whined, “How did you think of it so fast?”

       “Practice,” Sunggyu replied, smiling slightly.

       Woohyun sat back on the couch and pouted. He mumbled, “But I want to help.”

       Sunggyu looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, his tongue poking out to wet his lips. Their eyes met as Woohyun gave him an unreadable expression. He smiled and said, “How about I write the song and you can write the lyrics.”

       Woohyun’s face split into a grin at that. “That sounds perfect.”

       “You sure you can handle it?”

       Woohyun laughed and moved to put away his guitar. He pulled out a notebook and pencil and returned to his spot sitting uncomfortably close to Sunggyu. “I’m a born poet.”

       Sunggyu gave a soft laugh and returned his attention to the guitar. He positioned his fingers on the fret and said, “Don’t write anything too cheesy. Just write what you feel.”

       “Oh?” Woohyun teased, “Should it be a love song?”

       Sunggyu leaned over to shove him with his shoulder. “It can be about whatever you want, stupid.”

       They both laughed, and things were good between them. Together in that stiflingly hot room, they sat together and made music. When they were tired, they would take breaks and quiz each other because of course the impending doom of college entry exams loomed ever larger each day. Long after the sun set, when they were both exhausted, heads pounding, they would bid each other goodnight and head their separate ways home.

       It became a routine, something they did after practice because they were sixteen, and nothing in the world seemed more important. That teenage camaraderie built upon shared grins at the lies they told their parents about where they had been and useless conversations about nothing in particular was the shield they built for themselves. It surrounded and protected them from the distant reality that this would all end some day.

       They would grow up, and they would quit the band to study, to go to college, to build lives for themselves, but this--this was enough for now.

       One day, as Myungsoo and Sungyeol were leaving, they bumped into none other than Sungjong. Myungsoo reached out to steady him before he could fall, and Sungjong gaped, red-faced, at the two.

       “Uh-Um--” He stuttered, looking around for any possible escape route. He bowed quickly and squeaked out an apology, before brushing past them into the practice room. Myungsoo gave one last confused look over his shoulder before they headed out again. As the door slam shut behind them, Sungjong dropped to his knees and groaned.

       “Why, why,  _ why _ am I so clumsy,” he said, burying his face in his hands. Sunggyu’s loud laughter died into silent giggles when Sungjong shot him a glare from between his fingers.

       “Nice one, Jjongie,” Sunggyu said, wiping a stray tear from his eye. Woohyun bit his lip to keep himself from laughing too.

       “Shut up,” Sungjong spat, pushing himself up, “The only reason I’m here is because Mom said I should tell you that you’re invited over for dinner tonight.”

       “We both have phones, stupid,” Sunggyu teased from where he sat on the floor, his head even with Woohyun’s knee as Woohyun sat at the end of the couch, “You just wanted to tell me in person so you could see Myungsoo.”

       Sungjong dusted off his pants, choosing not to dignify the jab with a response. He rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever, just be there or both our moms will be really mad.”

       Sunggyu grunted his response and shooed him to go. As Sungjong turned to leave, he paused in the doorway. “Hyung, when are you coming back to cram school?”

       Woohyun felt Sunggyu tense from where his arm rested against his leg. Sunggyu said carefully, “I don’t know, Jjongie.”

       “Why don’t you know? Why can’t you come back?” Sungjong whined. He pouted a bit as he said, “It’s really boring without you.”

       Sunggyu sighed. “I already told you I can’t tell you. I’m really trying, okay?”

       Sungjong looked at him for a moment, trying to read his face for any sign that he was lying, and sighed. “Fine. See you at dinner.”

       Sunggyu chuckled again as Sungjong closed the door behind him and Woohyun stared at him with an unreadable expression. Sunggyu could feel his gaze on him without turning around and said, “Are you going to ask me why again?”

       “You’ll tell me if you want to.”

       Sunggyu gave a small smile. “You’re right,” he replied. He was quiet for a moment, then said, “I can’t tell Sungjong because he’ll tell his mom and she’ll worry about us.”

       Woohyun was silent, waiting for Sunggyu to continue. He was frustrated that he couldn’t see Sunggyu’s face as he spoke, but he felt that if he moved, whatever spell that had been cast over them, allowing them this moment, would be broken and everything would return to how it was. He felt Sunggyu shift to lean more heavily against his shin. “Don’t laugh, okay?”

       “Of course not,” Woohyun breathed, leaning forward to better hear Sunggyu’s voice, which had gone very quiet.

       “My mom can’t afford the tuition anymore,” Sunggyu said softly. He brought his knees up to his chest so he could wrap his arms around them. “We can barely afford rent until my sister graduates in the spring and starts working.”

       Sunggyu felt Woohyun press a hand to the back of his head. Woohyun mumbled, “Why would I laugh at that?”

       “I don’t know,” Sunggyu said, leaning into the touch and closing his eyes, “It’s just embarrassing.”

       Woohyun hummed. After a moment, he lowered himself to the floor next to Sunggyu. The hand that rested on the back of Sunggyu’s head went around his shoulders. Woohyun looked at him seriously and said, “Then how about I tell you something secret about me?”

       Sunggyu’s brows shot up as he smiled. “Why would you do that?”

       “To make us even,” Woohyun replied, matching his grin with his own. The smile slowly faded from his face as he turned his head to face forward, not staring at anything in particular. “My parents are getting divorced.”

       Woohyun felt Sunggyu slowly exhale as he took in his confession. They still didn’t look at each other. After a moment, Sunggyu began, “Why--” He shook he head. “No, nevermind.”

       “Why are they getting divorced?” Woohyun asked, amused. Sunggyu was bold in so many things and  _ this _ was what made him shy?

       Sunggyu gave a small shrug and Woohyun hummed thoughtfully. “I guess it could be the fact that they cheated on each other or maybe that they spent more time at the restaurant than at home… but I think they just weren’t meant to be together. If the restaurant didn’t exist to take up all of their time, then maybe--” Woohyun shook his head. “Nah, no use thinking about it now.”

       “Oh,” Sunggyu said quietly. He wrapped his arms tighter around his knees, “I’m sorry.”

       “For what?” Woohyun smiled sadly and looked at him. “I don’t blame myself or anything like that. They just…” Woohyun trailed off. His smile fell and he leaned a little more heavily against Sunggyu. “Sometimes love isn’t enough.”

       Sunggyu felt like he should say something to comfort him, but what really was there to say? What could Woohyun say to comfort him? Right now, the biggest comfort in his life was Woohyun’s arm around his shoulder, so Sunggyu slid his arm around Woohyun’s waist and leaned his head against his shoulder in the small hope that this would say what he himself couldn’t.

       Sunggyu could hear a slight smile in Woohyun’s voice when he said, “Anyway, that’s why I don’t like going home. It’s either empty or they’re fighting, and--” He went quiet when his voice broke. He cleared his throat. “So thanks for letting me stay here and bother you.”

       Sunggyu squeezed his waist tighter. Woohyun wouldn’t cry, but Sunggyu wanted him to know that he wouldn’t laugh if he did. He didn’t know how long they sat like that, just that it was long enough for him to fall asleep. He awoke to an uncomfortable pain in his back and his head still resting on Woohyun’s shoulder.

       He shifted uncomfortably before jolting upright. He pushed himself up to stand on shaky legs and turned to look at Woohyun, horrified. Woohyun just looked alarmed at his sudden movement. Sunggyu turned around to hide his flush, pretending to check his phone. “Sorry. Um, how long was I out?”

       “I don’t really know… I think I fell asleep too,” Woohyun replied as he ruffled the hair on the back of his head in embarrassment.

       Sunggyu gasped when he saw the time. “Shit! I’m going to be late,” he cried, shoving his phone into his pocket and stumbling over to his bag and guitar case. Shoving papers into his backpack and throwing it over his shoulder, he turned around and said, “We didn’t even make any progress on the song, did we? Fuck, I’m so sorry.”

       “D-don’t be,” Woohyun mumbled as he sat, wide-eyed, while Sunggyu flew across the room, gathering his things.

       Sunggyu paused in the doorway. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

       Woohyun still sat on the floor where he left him, too stunned to move. He glanced around the room in confusion before he nodded. Sunggyu smiled brightly at him and waved goodbye, slamming the door behind him as he ran for home.

       It became what was known as the incident-of-which-they-did-not-speak; in other words, their relationship continued as if that conversation and that awkward awakening had never happened. Whatever words or feelings that might have been fruitful to say, they instead poured into their song.

       They had a breakthrough on a Saturday.

       Sunggyu and Woohyun were laying on the floor of the practice room, trying not to move. Sunggyu slowly plucked chords on his guitar as he stared up at the ceiling. Woohyun was mumbling to himself, and though Sunggyu was curious, it wasn’t worth the effort of speaking to find out what he was saying.

       “It’s too hot,” Woohyun whined, rolling onto his side to face Sunggyu. “I can’t think like this.”

       Sunggyu raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow and grimaced. “I know, but we only have two weeks left before the competition.”

       “We’re never going to finish like this…” Woohyun trailed off and furrowed his brow as he thought. After a moment he jolted upright. “I’ve got it!” Sunggyu raised a brow at him without moving. Even looking at Woohyun made him tired sometimes. Woohyun smiled as he said, “We need a change of scenery.”

       “Where would we even go?”

       “Home!” Woohyun said as he pushed himself to stand. He held out a hand to Sunggyu expectantly.

       “My mom thinks I’m studying,” Sunggyu replied, taking the hand anyway. He let himself be pulled up, ignoring the spinning in his head at the sudden movement.

       “We’ll go to mine,” Woohyun shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. He began to stuff his pencil and paper back into his bag. “No one’s home anyway.”

       Sunggyu grunted his reply and sluggishly began to put away his guitar. He was curious about the inside of Woohyun’s house anyway, and they weren’t making any progress in that hot, stuffy prison.

       They turned the opposite way from Sunggyu’s house and kept walking. Woohyun’s house was only about ten minutes away, nestled in a nice, quiet neighborhood filled with nice, quiet people. The streets were deserted. It was the hottest part of the day, and only idiots would choose to be outside in the blazing sun.

       Sunggyu sighed in relief when Woohyun finally stopped to push open a gate. He unlocked the door and Sunggyu was immediately blessed with a blast of cool air. Woohyun chuckled as he pulled Sunggyu inside.

       They took off their shoes at the entrance as Sunggyu gaped at the interior. The entryway was lined with family photos. He pointed to one of two young boys posing as cowboys and laughed as he said, “Nice outfit.”

       Woohyun flushed and reached his hands up to cover it. “Stop looking at these!”

       “That’s your mom and dad?” Sunggyu asked, ignoring him and pointing to a picture of Woohyun and his family together on vacation in Jeju Island.

       “Let’s just go,” Woohyun muttered, pulling Sunggyu by the upper arm and into the large kitchen. Sunggyu gave a low whistle as he took in the shiny stainless steel appliances. Woohyun opened the fridge and asked, “Do you want anything to drink?”

       “No, I’m fine,” Sunggyu called from where he had wandered into the living room. The house was decorated all in white and sparse shades of light grey. It felt cold and unlived in, and it was no wonder Woohyun never seemed to want to go home. Even if he did have a huge 50-inch television in his living room, Sunggyu noted bitterly.

       Woohyun flushed as he caught Sunggyu gaping at all the remotes on the coffee table and pulled him to the staircase. Sunggyu smiled and said, “I’ve never been in a house with a staircase before.”

       “It’s not that big a deal,” he mumbled, guiding him to the last bedroom at the end of the hall. It was the only room that looked like it had been used, but it was still too neat for Sunggyu’s liking. He set down his guitar case and began to explore. The whole room must have been as big as the living area in Sunggyu’s apartment. There were old soccer trophies on the shelf above the desk that had gathered dust, but Sunggyu’s attention was immediately caught by the expensive looking keyboard in the corner.

       He rested his fingers on the keys tenderly, his eyes silently begging Woohyun for permission to play. When Woohyun nodded his consent, Sunggyu smiled gleefully and turned it on. He hesitantly played a soft melody, the one he had been working on for the chorus of their song. “I think I’m falling for your instruments, Woohyun.”

       Woohyun fumbled with the notepad he was pulling out of his bag. After mumbling something along the lines of ‘you can come over and play it whenever you like’ and an awkward silence, he said, “Your guitars are nice too.”

       Sunggyu laughed softly and it made Woohyun’s eyes shine. “Not as nice as yours, but thank you,” he said, turning off the keyboard, “I’ve had the acoustic for as long as I can remember. It’s pretty much all I have left of my dad.”

       “Oh.” Woohyun scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “Did he--I’m sorry.”

       Sunggyu’s brows shot up. “Oh, he didn’t die! He just ran out on us like a total bastard,” Sunggyu said. Woohyun breathed a sigh of relief. “At least he left me his guitar so he’s not totally useless.”

       “How’d you get the electric?” Woohyun asked. Sunggyu’s lips split into a slight smile as he remembered.

       “It was a gift from my grandmother when I entered Middle School. She must have saved up for a really long time,” he said, trailing off. He shook his head before continuing. “It’s a pretty cheap one, but it works.”

       “It sounds really good though.”

       Sunggyu grinned. “Yeah, she picked out a good one. Did you get yours just to hit on girls or something?”

       “That’s--I was only thirteen,” Woohyun said defensively. He flushed, having been found out, and Sunggyu laughed. Woohyun’s face went even redder at that.

       “I figured as much,” Sunggyu said, wiping tears from his eyes. His laughter died as he looked at Woohyun, oddly serious. “But you’ve changed.”

       “Yeah,” Woohyun said softly. “I fell in love with music because it was one of the only things that made this house a bit less quiet.”

       Sunggyu stood up and walked over to the bed where Woohyun sat at its edge. He flopped down unceremoniously and stretched his arms. He yawned, tears pricking at his eyes. “I know what you mean. This place is so quiet I’m gonna fall asleep.”

       Woohyun fell down next to him and stared at the ceiling. “We should keep working on the song.”

       “We should,” Sunggyu said, curling onto his side that faced Woohyun and closing his eyes.

       Woohyun stared at him and felt his eyelids growing heavy. He murmured, “Are you going to write music in your sleep?”

       “Maybe,” Sunggyu mumbled, opening his eyes to look at Woohyun again. They slowly slipped shut, and Woohyun felt his limbs growing heavy with sleep.

       However, before they could fall asleep, Woohyun said, “We should go to the beach.”

       Sunggyu furrowed his brows and opened his eyes again. “What?”

       “Let’s go to the beach,” Woohyun said, slowly pulling himself upright.

       “We don’t live near the beach.”

       “We can take the train,” he said as he pushed himself to stand. He pulled Sunggyu up by his arms until he sat on the edge of the bed, glaring at him sleepily.

       “How are we gonna get there?” Sunggyu said, narrowing his eyes, “As much fun as stealing the van was, I doubt we can make it all the way to the beach without getting pulled over.”

       Woohyun bit his lip as he thought. Sunggyu noticed the way his canine poked out to worry his lower lip and he wondered if it had always been like that. “We can take the train,” Woohyun said slowly, his face lighting up as a plan came into place, “It’s only a two hour ride from here.”

       “I can’t afford the train.”

       “But I can,” Woohyun replied simply, stuffing his notepad back in his bag. He turned to Sunggyu to pout. “Please say yes?”

       Sunggyu felt his resolve weakening in the face of Woohyun, jutting his lower lip out like a child who wanted something very badly. “I can’t just let you pay for me. I already owe you for the popsicle.”

       “God, you still remember that? Fine,” Woohyun said, grabbing both of Sunggyu’s wrists to pull him to stand, “I’m cashing in my favor now. You have to come with me, and I’ll figure out how you can pay off the ticket later.”

       Sunggyu stared at him with narrowed eyes as he contemplated his chance of winning the argument. Sighing in defeat, he said, “Nam Woohyun, you must be determined to drag me to every corner of Korea today.”

       Woohyun grinned at him. “Nah, just the good ones.”

       Sunggyu gave him one last bemused look before grabbing his guitar case. He hoped Woohyun didn’t see him as a charity case. He was definitely going to pay him back, but it had been years since he’d seen the ocean, and he had always been one for grabbing opportunities when he saw them.

       He was still embarrassed when they got up to the ticket booth of the train station and Woohyun asked for ‘two please’ as he slid one card across the counter. God, it must look like they’re a couple or something, so emasculating. Woohyun ignored the flustered glare aimed at his skull as they walked away, tickets in hand. “What’s done is done, Gyu, just enjoy it.”

       “Easy for you to say,” he muttered, stepping onto the platform where other passengers waited to board.

       They were seated uncomfortably close to each other, shoulder to shoulder. Sunggyu tapped his fingers nervously to the beat of the song coming from his headphones as they departed. Woohyun read through a dull pamphlet about their destination. At some point, Woohyun must have fallen asleep, because Sunggyu could feel him slumped against his arm. He didn’t wake him though. He could consider it a part of Sunggyu’s repayment that he let him drool all over his shoulder.

       Woohyun blinked slowly into awareness as he felt the train slowing down. He flushed when he realized where his head had been resting, but Sunggyu was gracious enough not to say anything. They collected their bags from the overhead luggage compartment and departed from the station, blinking into the strong sunlight.

       “Mmm, smells like the ocean,” Woohyun said, pulling out the brochure that had been folded and tucked into his back pocket.

       “Which way is it?” Sunggyu asked, holding up a hand to shade his eyes and peering around the street. Woohyun hummed, then turned the map around.

       “Ah! It’s that way!” he said, pointing down the street to their right. They began their trek and soon found themselves on some kind of boardwalk. Woohyun grabbed Sunggyu’s hand so that they wouldn’t lose each other in the crowd, and Sunggyu’s face burned at the stares they received, but said nothing. He hoped the tingling in his palm from where it met Woohyun’s would disappear soon.

       After several minutes of walking, they found themselves in the midst of the central boardwalk. There were paths cut through tall dunes that led to the ocean, and shops that sold beach necessities like ice cream and swimsuits lining the street on the other side. To their left, a small fishing pier jutted perhaps 100 feet into the ocean. To their other side, down the beach a ways, there was what looked like a small amusement park on a large pier with games, rides, and a huge ferris wheel. Sunggyu felt his heart beat faster with excitement. “Where should we go first?”

       “Let’s go to the water!” Woohyun cheered, pulling Sunggyu by the hand towards the dunes. Sunggyu wondered if it was his palm or Woohyun’s that was sweating, and blamed it on the heat.

       They left their things at the far edge of the shoreline and slowly approached the water. Sunggyu kept nervously glancing back at where his guitar case sat, scared someone would steal it. The view in the other direction wasn’t much better. He almost wished Woohyun would take his hand again just to feel a little more secure against the waves.

       “Maybe this is a bad time to bring this up,” Sunggyu gulped, stopping just short of where the waves reached the shore, “But I can’t swim. Water and I don’t really… get along.”

       “You won’t drown! I’ve got you,” Woohyun said as he rolled his eyes in impatience. He reached out again, this time grabbing Sunggyu by the bicep and pulled him into the water. The first thing Sunggyu registered was how unexpectedly warm it was. When he commented as much, Woohyun said, “That’s because the sun’s been warming it up all day.”

       Sunggyu paled when he saw little fish swimming around his toes. “Woohyun, what the hell are those?”

       “Hm?” Woohyun looked down as he felt Sunggyu’s fingers sink into his arm like talons. “I don’t know. They’re fish.”

       “D-do they bite?”

       Woohyun smiled impishly. “You wanna find out?” he asked, grabbing Sunggyu by the shoulders and slowly forcing him to walk deeper into the water. He laughed and said, “You’ll be fine!”

       “Woohyun, it’s not fucking funny,” Sunggyu said, a hint of panic creating an edge to his voice. “Seriously, let me go!”

       “Nah, I don’t think so,” Woohyun replied. The water was nearly up to Sunggyu’s knee, and soon it would begin to soak the board shorts he was wearing. He suddenly realized a course of action and smiled. He gave in to Woohyun’s pushing, taking several quick steps forwards. Woohyun, unprepared for Sunggyu to suddenly give in, fell flat on his face into the water, completely soaking himself.

       “Sunggyu,” he said, pulling himself up and brushing his dripping hair from his eyes, “You’re so fucking done for.”

       Sunggyu burst into laughter and kicked water at him so he could get a head start running away from his grasp. He bolted for the shore and their things. Sunggyu was the slower runner, but Woohyun was weighed down by his waterlogged clothes. He reached their bags first and grabbed the towel out of Woohyun’s that they had thankfully had the foresight to pack.

       “Take it! No, don’t touch me!” Sunggyu shrieked as Woohyun did just that. He groaned as he felt his clothes getting soaked in Woohyun’s arms. He squirmed free and shoved the towel into his arms instead. He tried not to stare at the way Woohyun’s shirt clung to his chest.

       “You think you’re really clever, don’t you?” Woohyun said as he scrubbed his head to dry his hair. He peeled off his shirt and grimaced. “You’re lucky my phone wasn’t in my pocket, you asshole.”

       “I wouldn’t have done it if I knew that,” Sunggyu muttered, suddenly guilty as he saw Woohyun stare hopelessly at his soaked shorts. Neither had brought a change of clothes.

       Woohyun sighed and smiled, showing that he wasn’t really mad. “I’m starving. Let’s get some food while I dry off,” he said, stuffing the towel back into his bag, “I saw a burger place across the street.”

       Sunggyu noticed only then that he was hungry too. They hadn’t eaten anything back at Woohyun’s house after all. The sun was beginning to set as they sat in the patio outside the burger shop. They were both quiet as they devoured their meals. Sunggyu finished first and stared longingly at the rest of Woohyun’s fries. Woohyun smiled at the unspoken request, and moved a few to Sunggyu’s plate.

       When they were finished, they spoke of little, meaningless things as they watched the crowds walk up and down the street. Woohyun was startled when Sunggyu suddenly shouted and pointed. “The ferris wheel is lit up now!”

       Woohyun followed where Sunggyu’s finger was pointed and saw that it was true. The amusement park was lit up in a rainbow of technicolor, flashing lights. “Do you want to go?”

       Sunggyu flushed. He’d been acting like a little kid. What was wrong with him? “Later, after the sun’s set. I want to watch the water until it’s dark.”

       Woohyun nodded. They stood and paid for their meal, and he led Sunggyu down the fishing pier. There weren’t many people, and they were able to grab a bench at the end where they could watch the water. Sunggyu pulled out his guitar and began to play.

       Their song was nearly done. He had the intro, the chorus, even the verses. All that was left was the bridge, but Sunggyu had been struggling with it for almost a week. He closed his eyes and began the song, letting it carry him wherever it would. He felt the wind on his face and smelled the salt in the air and Woohyun, sitting right beside him, radiating warmth.

       In the middle of the second chorus, he had a breakthrough.

       He flowed smoothly into the bridge, and he could feel Woohyun shift against him in surprise. A bridge, he remembered, was simply a part of a song to prepare for a return back to the beginning. Somehow, he liked thought of that. There was always a place where things came back.

       As the last note of the outro faded, he opened his eyes again. He turned to Woohyun and grinned. “I’m going to play it again, so be sure to get a recording of it on my phone.”

       Woohyun returned his smile ten times wider and fumbled with Sunggyu’s cellphone, hitting the record button as Sunggyu began to play it again. It was a  _ good _ song, anybody could hear it. Woohyun could hardly keep himself from laughing and messing up the recording in his giddiness.

       When the song finished a second time, this time captured on video for Sunggyu to transcribe later, they laughed. It was over, it was done. This insurmountable wall that had stood before them had crumbled like so many feathers at long last.

       “We did it, Hyun,” Sunggyu said, nearly breathless as he pulled Woohyun in for a tight hug.

       “Yeah,” Woohyun said softly into his ear. He pulled back and stared at Sunggyu with an unreadable expression. “Sunggyu, I’m.. I’m cashing in that favor now.” Sunggyu tilted his head in confusion as Woohyun continued, “Just… close your eyes.”

       Sunggyu did as he was told, wondering what the hell Woohyun was wasting his valuable payment on. He felt something warm and soft press against his lips. His eyes opened in reflex and he realized Woohyun was kissing him.

       Sunggyu almost pulled back in shock. He froze for a moment, then closed his eyes and slowly returned the kiss. He felt Woohyun bring up his hand to cup the back of his head. As the kiss ended and Woohyun pulled back, he could see that Woohyun’s blush had spread to the tips of his ears. Sunggyu probably wasn’t much better himself.

       “Um,” Woohyun began. He cleared his throat. “That was… thanks.”

       “Y-you’re welcome,” Sunggyu mumbled, turning to face the ocean again so he wouldn’t have to look at Woohyun. “Now we’re even.”

       They fell into an awkward silence, neither daring to speak, yet waiting for the other to say something. Sunggyu wasn’t particularly sure what to make of what just happened, so he did what he often did in such situations: he tucked the moment away inside a box in his mind labeled “DO NOT TOUCH” to await further examination when he was far enough away to trust his own judgement.

       “Sunggyu, I--”

       “Let’s go to the amusement park,” he suddenly said, standing up. Woohyun swallowed his words and nodded, and they began to walk towards the pier from which the enchanting sound of carnival music spilled.

       The sun had almost slipped below the horizon, and all the lights had been turned on, creating the illusion of artificial rainbows drawing in tourists and town folk alike. Sunggyu wondered what it was about carnival lights that created a sense of instinctive excitement in people, like there was some grand mystery hidden in the shadows. The sky was the color of pink and blue cotton candy, and Sunggyu felt like he could pluck the clouds from the sky and eat them. The ocean and sand appeared pink in the warm haze surrounding the town, like something out of a geography book he had once read.

       As Sunggyu stood shoulder to shoulder with Woohyun at the shooting range, each attempting to knock down the cups to win a stuffed bear they both agreed looked like Sungjong, he resolved to forget what had happened. It was a threat to the delicate balance in his life that he had built for himself, one where Woohyun was his closest friend in the world and nothing could ever change that.

       “I can’t believe you’re such a good shot,” Woohyun pouted as Sunggyu held the stuffed bear in the air in triumph.

       “You’re a thousand years too early to challenge me,” Sunggyu teased.

       Woohyun peered at the bear curiously as he put the bear back in the plastic bag it came in. “How did you get to be so good?”

       “My Mom used to take my sister and I to amusement parks when we were kids,” he replied, “My sister was an ace at these games, so she taught me everything she knows”

       “Why’d you stop going?”

       Sunggyu hummed, pulling them to stand in line at a ddeokbbokki stall. “My Mom started working a lot more to help my sister pay for college, so we don’t really have the time or money to go anymore.”

       “Oh,” Woohyun said. He stared awkwardly at his feet until they got to the front of the line. Sunggyu ordered some food, and they sat down at a picnic table. The sky had become a deep blue, and the ocean appeared black.

       “That’s why I’m thankful,” Sunggyu said, stabbing his fork into a piece of rice cake, “I never get to do this kind of thing, so thanks for bringing me.”

       He missed Woohyun’s flush in the darkness as his eyes darted up to meet Woohyun’s. Woohyun swallowed what he was chewing, then said slowly, “Then we should come again sometime.”

       “Yeah, sure,” Sunggyu smiled and shrugged, “Just let me know in advance so I can pay for my own ticket, or else I’ll be in debt to you for the next hundred years.”

       “Would that be so bad?”

       Sunggyu laughed. “Being stuck with you for the rest of my life? Hmm,” he said as he stole the piece of rice cake Woohyun’s fork had been aiming for, “Totally impossible. How am I supposed to be a famous rock star if you’re always following me around like a lost kid?” Sunggyu smiled at Woohyun’s affronted look. “Maybe you can be my groupie or something.”

       “I can’t be your bandmate?” Woohyun asked, clutching his chest in mock pain.

       “Definitely not,” Sunggyu said, chewing thoughtfully, “You’ll steal all the attention away.”

       “Oh, so you’re only in it for the fame?”

       Sunggyu narrowed his eyes. He jabbed a finger into Woohyun’s forehead. “Of course not, but I don’t want you upstaging me since you can sing  _ and _ have good looks.”

       Woohyun grinned. “So you think I’m good-looking?”

       Sunggyu scoffed and rolled his eyes, taking another bite of ddeokbokki. Still chewing, he said, “I can’t believe that’s the only thing you got from that.”

       As the sky grew black, Sunggyu found himself reluctant to return home even after all that had happened. It was nearing the time when the last train would run when Woohyun pointed to the huge ferris wheel at the end of the pier. “We have to ride that.”

       Sunggyu paled and stood his ground. “Actually we should head back. I don’t want to miss the last train home.”

       “Are you scared?” Woohyun teased. His eyes widened. “Oh my god, you  _ are  _ scared.”

       “No, I’m not, I just don’t want to be late,” Sunggyu insisted, tugging on Woohyun’s arm towards the exit.

       Woohyun laughed and tried to pull him back. “Now we have to ride it.”

       “No, no, stop it--” Sunggyu tried in vain to free his arm. “Fine! I’m scared! Happy?”

       Woohyun let go of his arm and cackled. “I can’t believe you’re scared of the ferris wheel!”

       “Shut up,” Sunggyu mumbled, flushing.

       Woohyun wiped a tear forming at the corner of his eye as he tried to calm his laughter. “Don’t worry, Gyu, your secret’s safe with me.”

       Sunggyu groaned and turned to walk towards the exit. Woohyun jogged to catch up, and they walked back to the station in comfortable silence. Sunggyu could still sense that there was something Woohyun wanted to say, but it was stuck somewhere inside of him, unable to break free.

       When they took their seats in the train car, Sunggyu put in his headphones to listen again to the recording they had made. He began to transcribe the bass parts in his head, and Woohyun stared out the window into the darkness as the train raced home.

       They stood quietly outside the station in their hometown, the rest of the world asleep in their beds as they stared at each other in the darkness.

       “Should I walk you home?” Woohyun asked, shifting awkwardly on his feet, his hands shoved into his pockets.

       “Nah, it’s too far for that,” Sunggyu replied. He yawned and stretched his arms above his head.

       “Alright. Goodnight, Sunggyu.”

       Sunggyu smiled sleepily and waved goodbye. “Goodnight, Woohyun.”

       Before he could turn to leave, Woohyun reached out to snatch his wrist. Woohyun pulled him close and pressed another brief kiss against his lips. Sunggyu stared at him wide-eyed.

       “Payment for the ride back,” Woohyun replied, tongue darting out to lick his lips nervously. Sunggyu nodded weakly and waved goodbye again.

       Stupid Woohyun, Sunggyu thought. Now what was he going to do? His “DO NOT TOUCH” box had been smashed to pieces, unleashing a pandora’s box of unpleasant emotions. He couldn’t ignore it anymore, but he didn’t want to confront it either. The feelings it brought with it were scary and dangerous, and he hated scary and dangerous things.

       Sunggyu made the long journey home. His mother had a double shift that day, so the apartment was dark when he got back. He set his guitar case gently against the empty twin bed on the other side of his cramped bedroom. It was his sister’s, though recently it was being used more for storage than for sleeping.

       He stretched out onto his own bed and wondered if Woohyun had made it home alright. He briefly considered texting him, but decided against it. He thought about the kiss from earlier. Was it a kiss? What if he was misremembering, and it was something totally different? No, he thought with a grimace, remembering the way Woohyun’s lips had moved against his, it was definitely a kiss.

       Sunggyu brought his fingers up to his lips. They still tingled a bit when he remembered the way they had fit against Woohyun’s. His lips were softer than he thought they’d be, and then he wondered when the hell he had been making guesses about how soft Woohyun’s lips might be.

       It wasn’t his first kiss; that had been taken by some underclassman at his middle school graduation. She had confessed that since it was the last time they’d see each other, there was something she’d always wanted to do, and kissed him. He wondered if Woohyun had been wanting to kiss him too, and if that was why he did it. He fell asleep to these thoughts, and though he couldn’t remember them when he awoke, he had the feeling his dreams had been oddly pleasant.

       The next day he found himself standing outside of Sungjong’s doorway, impatiently tapping his foot as he waited for it to open.

       At last, the door swung open to Sungjong in pink and yellow pajamas. “Hyung? What are you doing here this early?”

       Sunggyu smirked. “Nice pajamas.”

       “I hate you,” Sungjong groaned, and attempted to slam the door in Sunggyu’s face, but Sunggyu pushed half his body through the door before it could close. “Yeah, sure, you can come in,” he said, rolling his eyes as Sunggyu shut the door behind himself. “Why even bother knocking?”

       “Yah, be grateful. I brought you a present,” Sunggyu said, shoving the plastic bag with the stuffed bear he had won into Sungjong’s arms.

       Sungjong examined the bear with narrowed eyes. “Where did you get this?”

       “I won it at the amusement park. You know the one by the beach two towns over?”

       “Sure I do,” Sungjong replied, carefully unwrapping the bear and tucking it under his arm. “But why were  _ you _ there?”

       Sunggyu flushed as he reached for the good cereal. He knew Sungjong hid it in the top shelf of the cabinet over the stove so no one but him could reach it. “Woohyun took me.”

       “Woohyun took you…” Sungjong furrowed his brows as he thought. “He paid for you?”

       “I paid him back already,” Sunggyu mumbled, tips of his ears turning pink as he poured the cereal into the bowl.

       “Hah! Do you know how much train tickets cost these days? How the heck did you pay that back in one day?” Sungjong asked, brows raised, as he snatched the box of cereal back from Sunggyu’s hands and returned it to the shelf.

       Sunggyu scratched the back of his neck as he grabbed the milk from the refrigerator. “He--nothing. It’s none of your business.”

       “Oh, now it  _ definitely _ is. What, did he make you pay him back with your body, or something like--” He jumped as Sunggyu fumbled with the milk, accidentally spilling some on the counter. The back of his neck was completely red as he swore and grabbed a rag to wipe it up with. Dawning realization slowly overtook Sungjong. “Oh my god, he did?”

       “N-no!” Sunggyu cried. He glanced around the small apartment, checking that Sungjong’s little brothers were both still asleep. “It’s not what you think.”

       Sungjong rolled his eyes. “They’re both at a friend’s house. Now tell me what happened.”

       “Fine,” Sunggyu said, mouth full of cereal as he took the bowl to the cramped dining table. Sungjong followed him and sat across from him, legs crossed, and waited expectantly. “We just… all we did was k-kiss.”

       “You kissed?!” Sungjong shrieked. Sunggyu jumped across the table to cover his mouth with his hands.

       “Shut up!” he hissed, “It’s not that big of a deal.”

       “Hyung, if he made you repay him with a kiss, that’s a date,” Sungjong said solemnly, as he gently removed Sunggyu’s hands from his mouth.

       “It was not a date.”

       Sungjong smirked. “I bet Woohyun thought it was.”

       “That’s not-- He didn’t--” Sunggyu groaned and shoved another spoonful into his mouth. Sungjong laughed, and Sunggyu pouted at him until he swallowed his giggles. “Is that even possible? For two guys to date?”

       “Of course it is, hyung, do you not go on the internet?”

       Sunggyu reached over to flick Sungjong’s forehead. “Of course I do, it’s just--I don’t know if what we did were date things or friend things.”

       Sungjong shrugged and said, “I’m pretty sure the only difference is whether or not you fuck at the end.”

       “Sungjong!” Sunggyu stared at him in horror as Sungjong burst into laughter again.

       “Fine, fine! It depends on whether or not you  _ kiss _ at the end!” Sungjong replied. “Better?”

       Sunggyu glared at him. “Not funny, Jjongie.”

       “Did you like it though?” Sungjong asked, already well-trained in ignoring Sunggyu’s judgemental looks. “The kiss, I mean.”

       Sunggyu sighed and stared into his bowl of cereal. “I don’t know. I--” He shrugged helplessly. “I don’t have a lot to compare it to.”

       “Did you hate it though? Did it make you uncomfortable?”

       Sunggyu shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “No, I-- it felt nice.”

       “You can be such a kid sometimes, hyung,” Sungjong chuckled. Ignoring Sunggyu’s glare again, he continued, “Do you think he’s hot? Did you end up checking out his body?”

       Sunggyu thought back to the beach, when Woohyun’s shirt outlined his well-defined abs, and flushed. “That doesn’t count. He’s absurdly muscular, anyone would stare.”

       “Yeah, sure,” Sungjong replied, unimpressed. “How do you feel when you hang out together? Do you want to be around him all the time? Does it excite you?”

       “I like hanging out with all my friends,” Sunggyu said defensively.

       “Yeah, but you get sick of me after a few hours,” Sungjong said, “You can barely deal with Sungyeol for the time you spend at practice with him.”

       Sunggyu winced. “Fine, you’re right. Sure, I want to spend time with him, but he’s my closest friend.”

       “And when he hangs out with his soccer friends?” Sunggyu didn’t reply, but Sungjong noted the way his hand clenched around his spoon. “You’re totally jealous, hyung.”

       Sunggyu groaned into his hands. “Sungjongie what do I do?”

       “What do you… Date him!” Sungjong cried, standing up from his seat. “Do you know how lucky you are?”

       Sunggyu whined, “But we’re already friends! I just want things to stay the same.”

       “You may want that, but I bet Woohyun doesn’t,” Sungjong said, sitting back down.

       “What do you mean?”

       “I mean,” he said slowly, “he likes you. If you don’t want to date him, things will be awkward anyway.”

       “I hate this,” Sunggyu mumbled, his words muffled from where his head rested in his crossed arms.

       Sungjong rested his head on the table too and stared at him sadly. “I know you think this sucks right now, but it could be really good for you. You’re so lucky to have a guy like him like you.”

       “How do you know about all this stuff anyway?” Sunggyu pouted, looking back up at him. “You’re just a middle schooler.”

       “Yah, hyung, you can be really dense sometimes.”

       Sunggyu stuck his tongue out at him. “Don’t be a brat.”

       A few hours later Sunggyu left Sungjong’s house to get ready for practice. He hadn’t resolved what to do, but he could at least wait for Woohyun to make another move. If he wouldn’t bring it up, Sunggyu wouldn’t either. Things were easier that way.

       Everyone was in high spirits at practice that day. Sunggyu had finished transcribing the other bass and guitar parts, and Sungyeol was more than ready to work out a backing beat.

       “This looks great,” Myungsoo said as he scanned the sheet music for his part.

       Sunggyu smiled proudly. “All we need now are the lyrics.”

       “I’ll try to have them done by Wednesday,” Woohyun replied, looking at the music intently. “That’ll be enough time for you to memorize them, right?”

       “It’ll have to be,” Sunggyu said, “We don’t have a lot of time left.”

       “We’ll be fine, hyung!” Sungyeol said cheerily from his drum set. He was already tapping out a beat that would work for the song.

       Sunggyu bit his lip nervously, but smiled at Myungsoo as he rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. They would be fine, Sunggyu thought, and he should be ashamed for doubting them.

       He vaguely entertained the notion of running out of practice before Woohyun could approach him, but was stopped by a hand on his arm and a whispered, “We need to talk.”

       Sunggyu nervously played with the strap of his guitar case where it hung around his shoulder. Sungyeol and Myungsoo had already left, leaving them alone in the too-small room.

       “Sunggyu, I--” Woohyun looked up at him, then looked back down. “I like you.”

       Sunggyu’s breath hitched. He cleared his throat out of fear it might crack when he asked, “So the k-kisses from yesterday...?”

       “What do you think?” Sunggyu chewed on his lip. Woohyun continued to stare at the ground, refusing to meet his desperate gaze. “I’m sorry. It probably really bothered you when I kissed you , but I-- I didn’t want to lie to you.”

       “Lie to me about what?”

       “About--about how desperate I am to k-kiss you whenever I’m around you!” Woohyun suddenly looked up to meet Sunggyu’s petrified stare. “I want to right now.”

       “Then what’s stopping you?” Sunggyu whispered, clutching the strap so hard his knuckles turned white.

       “You,” Woohyun replied, “That is--I want to know how you feel. About all this.” He gestured vaguely between them. “I want to know if you want to go out with me.”

       “Go out? I--I don’t know.” Sunggyu hesitated. He felt his heart squeeze at Woohyun’s fallen face.

       “I get it,” Woohyun mumbled. “Sorry for forcing you.”

       “It’s not that, Woohyun, I just--” Sunggyu reached out to stop Woohyun from walking out the door. “I didn’t dislike it. Any of it. And I don’t regret kissing you.” Sunggyu scratched the back of his neck. He’d have to find a way not to flush every time he talked about  _ the kiss _ . “I just kind of… don’t see the point?”

       “The point?” Woohyun somehow looked even more hurt, and Sunggyu inwardly cursed himself for saying all the wrong things.

       Sunggyu took a deep breath and tried again. “You can’t kiss me in public where people we know might see. We’re lucky no one saw us yesterday. And all of the things we did yesterday were things we could do as friends anyway.”

       Woohyun’s brow creased. He gave a frustrated sigh. “That’s not the point, Gyu, it’s--it’s about wanting to be with someone in a way no one else can be.” When Sunggyu didn’t respond, Woohyun growled, then grabbed him by the bicep, pulling him close. “You can’t do this as friends,” he murmured, then pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

       Sunggyu tensed at first, his lips unmoving, but gradually relaxed into the kiss. He felt his body go limp against Woohyun’s as Woohyun cupped his hands on the sides of his face. He whimpered in surprise as Woohyun’s tongue slid against his lower lip, and Woohyun took the opportunity to slip it inside.

       Woohyun slowly pushed him backwards until the back of his legs bumped into the couch. He pushed Sunggyu to sit, not breaking apart until Sunggyu was fully seated. Sunggyu looked up at him, panting and flushed, before Woohyun spoke.

       “If--if you hated that, I’ll leave,” he said, wiping a trail of saliva off his lips. Sunggyu’s heart pounded so hard he feared it might break free of his chest. “But if you didn’t, then I want to try. Dating, that is.”

       “I…” Sunggyu struggled to make his mouth work. “I didn’t hate it.”

       Woohyun grinned. He kneeled so that he was at eye level with Sunggyu. “How about a bet then? If we win first place at Battle of the Bands, you have to  _ try _ going out with me.”

       Sunggyu snorted. “And if we lose?”

       “I’ll pretend it never happened,” Woohyun said seriously, “Please, Gyu.”

       Sunggyu stared at him for a moment. “Are you really that confident we’ll win?”

       “Of course I am,” Woohyun said, smiling as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, and it made Sunggyu smile in return.

       He pushed a finger against Woohyun’s forehead until he toppled over onto the floor. “Fine, but no more kissing until then.”

       Woohyun’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Wait, really?”

       Sunggyu rolled his eyes at how he pushed himself to his feet and began to bounce around like a kid. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to be stuck with an idiot like this, but it wasn’t so bad, he guessed. He smiled softly as Woohyun pumped his fist into the air.

       The next two weeks were filled with long afternoons in the stuffy practice room spent perfecting their performance. Woohyun finished the lyrics as promised, and Sunggyu almost refused to sing them.

       “These are way too cheesy, Hyun,” he whined, holding the lyrics away from himself like they might infect him with their sappiness.

       Sungyeol grabbed the paper from his hand and glanced over them before barking out a laugh. “Woohyun-hyung must be lovesick.”

       Woohyun pouted. Myungsoo scanned the lyrics briefly and said, “I don’t think they’re bad, hyung.”

       He perked up at that, and Sunggyu groaned. He snatched the lyrics back from Sungyeol and shot Woohyun a glare. “For our next song, you’re on music and  _ I’m _ on lyrics.”

       Their set was to be two songs: the one they performed at auditions and their new song. The winner would be determined by the strength of the audience’s cheers, and the competition would be held at a club in downtown Seoul.

       This presented certain logistical problems, them mainly being that none of them knew how to drive and they could forget about fitting their instruments on public transit. Their saving grace came in the form of Sunggyu’s older sister, who agreed to drive them and let them crash on the floor of her apartment for the weekend. Sunggyu was adverse to the idea of his sister meeting his friends, of meeting  _ Woohyun _ , but it couldn’t be helped.

       It was a Friday. The competition was to be held the following day, and the rest of the band was stuffed into the back row of seats in the beat up truck his sister had borrowed from a friend while Sunggyu sat up front. He drummed his fingers nervously against the dash. He’d never been to Seoul before, but he’d been dreaming about it ever since he was a little kid, too young to realize that his father was never coming back from the mysterious, sprawling city.

       He hummed along to the radio as his sister told him about all of the things she had been doing in college, all of the people she had met.

       “College is amazing, Gyu,” she said, smiling and turning up the radio volume.

       Sunggyu simply nodded and kept his eyes on the road ahead.

       The drive took them most of the day, and it was sundown when they reached the heart of the city. They dropped their things off at his sister’s apartment, then went on a walk around her campus. She took them out to eat at a bar across the street where some band was playing covers of old classic rock songs. He tried to ignore Woohyun’s stare from across the table, but it burned into his head, into his brain, until the only thing he could see in the dim light of the booth was Woohyun’s dark eyes.

       That night they lay side by side on the floor of the living area of his sister’s apartment. He couldn’t sleep, and kept shifting restlessly under the thin blanket he shared with Woohyun. Finally, Woohyun whispered into the dark, “Go the fuck to sleep.”

       Sunggyu sighed bitterly and muttered, “Fine.”

       He turned onto his side before he heard Woohyun move. Woohyun pulled him towards his chest, so that Sunggyu’s head was resting on his arm.

       “What did I tell you?” Sunggyu hissed, struggling to break free.

       “You said no kissing,” Woohyun replied quietly, “This isn’t kissing. It’s cuddling, and it’s just until you fall asleep.”

       Sunggyu gave up struggling and relaxed into his grip. He was reluctant to admit the small comfort it brought, being wrapped in Woohyun’s arms. He hesitantly shifted closer, making himself comfortable, before closing his eyes again.

       He awoke to a foot poking his side. He blinked up at Myungsoo, who was standing over him, before registering the warmth his arms were wrapped around.

       “You better move before Sungyeol wakes up or else you’ll never live it down,” Myungsoo mumbled sleepily, taking a sip of coffee. Sunggyu groaned and pried himself from Woohyun’s grip. So much for ‘it’s just until you fall asleep.’

       They arrived at the venue that afternoon, well before they were due for soundcheck. Other groups were already there, milling around backstage in groups of three and four. They were last to go on, and therefore the last to do soundcheck, but Sunggyu wanted to see what they were in for with regards to competition.

       He was checking out a punk rock group covered head to toe in tattoos when he slammed into something solid. He stumbled backwards, and a large, warm hand reached out to steady him before he could fall.

       “Careful there, kid,” the man said. Or perhaps he was a boy still. He didn’t look to be much older than Sunggyu.

       “Sorry,” he muttered, dusting himself off and willing the flush in his face away, “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

       “No problem,” the man said, smiling as he stuck out his hand to shake. “I’m Yongguk, by the way.”

       “Sunggyu,” he replied, taking his hand and adjusting his guitar case on his shoulder. “Um, I should probably get going. My band is waiting…”

       “No problem. Good luck out there!”

       Sunggyu bowed slightly before turning to leave. He sent a confused look at the way Sungyeol’s eyes were bulging out of his head at his return.

       “Hyung, do you know who that was?”

       Sunggyu shook his head, setting down his bag. Sungyeol glanced around before saying, “That’s the leader of the group that placed first in auditions. Their band is the favorite to win!”

       “Why’d you have to tell me that,” Sunggyu groaned. He could have lived without the knowledge that he had walked face-first into their biggest competition.

       “It’s going to be okay,” Myungsoo said quietly, pulling his bass out of its case. “Just stop worrying.”

       Sunggyu paced about the waiting area as group after group went up for their soundcheck. He knew he should eat something, but he also knew that he’d throw whatever he ate back up again because of nerves. All the groups sounded good, and they appeared to be the most junior band there. Everyone else appeared to be 19 or 20, at least.

       They fumbled through their soundcheck, having never done so on a real stage before. It was then that it truly hit him. They were going to perform on a real stage in front of a real audience. An audience that might boo them, but one that might also cheer for them at the top of their lungs.

       An hour before the competition was set to begin, he got a text from Sungjong that he had arrived with several of his friends from back home. Sunggyu smiled at his phone as he tapped out a reply. He couldn’t go out and meet them until it was over, but it was a comfort knowing they had support in the crowd that would soon fill the grimy nightclub to the brim. His sister had brought her friends as well, and assured him she was getting them nice and drunk so they could cheer their loudest when it was time for Sunggyu’s group to go on.

       As the competition began, he tried to judge how other groups were doing by the sounds of the crowd from backstage, but it was too muffled to tell. Yongguk re-entered the backstage area sweaty and triumphant. As the opening act, the crowd was excited for things to begin, and it would boost their overall score.

       He felt a warm arm slip around his shoulders as he watched group after group come and go. He leaned slightly into the touch, his only anchor in the sea of motion that swirled around them, making sure the concert run smoothly.

       “We’re going to win,” Woohyun murmured, squeezing his shoulders.

       Sunggyu shivered as he remembered the promise he had made. He had almost forgotten it among everything else that had been happening. He realized, under all of the nervousness about what the night might hold, there was an indescribable excitement too.

       The time came at last for them to go on. Their instruments were tuned, and they knew their parts. They were ready, Sunggyu thought. They listened as the announcer called, “Please welcome our final act of the night, Coma Beat!”

       The ran onstage to loud cheering. Sunggyu smiled and waved to the crowd, wondering where Sungjong and his friends might be. He laughed slightly as his sister screamed, “Gyu-yah, I love you!”

       They introduced themselves quickly, and Woohyun struck the opening note of their first song. They had decided to start with the familiar Nell song to bolster up the crowd’s excitement. He was pleased to hear cheers as he hit the high notes of the song flawlessly. He glanced back at Woohyun, who grinned at him encouragingly.

       As the last notes of their first song faded out, Sunggyu closed his eyes and breathed. His body felt like it was on fire, and he thought, yes, this was what living felt like. All of the arguments with his mom, all of the sweat and tears poured into creating this song, all of those flowed together into a fountain inside his chest, and when he opened his mouth, music poured out.

       Sunggyu didn’t waste time comparing the cheers of the crowd to other groups’ reactions, he simply focused on the warm feeling inside his chest when he heard some of the audience sing along as they reached the final chorus.

       The last note faded out and the room erupted into thunderous applause and loud cheers. He heard his sister and her friends over by the bar, but, surprisingly, they weren’t even the loudest in the crowd. Sunggyu felt a stupid grin on his face as the band bowed and bid the crowd goodbye. The smile didn’t leave his face until they were called back onstage for the final results.

       The judge had called the top five groups back on stage as he announced third, second and first place. They held their breath as third place was called, but it wasn’t them. He felt Woohyun take his hand and squeeze as the judge began to announce the second place winners.

       “Second place goes to… Coma Beat!”

       Sunggyu gasped and opened his eyes, not sure when he had closed them. They broke into smiles as they stepped forward to accept their trophy. Sungyeol pulled them all into a hug and he could hear the crowd burst into laughter.

       Yongguk’s group won first place, and Sunggyu found that in that moment, on that stage, it didn’t really matter. He was proud of what they had done, of what they had accomplished.

       Before they could make their way offstage for Yongguk’s band’s final encore, he was stopped by a warm hand on his shoulder.

       “Congrats,” Yongguk said, pounding him on the pack, “You guys were amazing. And to be so young! We’ll have to watch our backs next year.”

       Sunggyu laughed and bid him goodbye. He was pulled offstage by Sungyeol’s insistent tug on his wrist, and they stumbled drunkenly into the backstage waiting area.

       “I call first dibs on taking it home,” Sungyeol announced, hugging the trophy tightly to his chest.

       Myungsoo’s eye twitched in annoyance. “We’re leaving it in the practice room, stupid.”

       Sungyeol pouted. “But I want to show my family! I promised my little brother I’d bring home a trophy!”

       “Take a picture then!” Myungsoo said, but his anger wasn’t real. He broke into a smile as Sungyeol continued to argue with him.

       Sunggyu noted that Woohyun was oddly silent beside him, but what was there to say now? They had won, but not in the way they had wanted, and not in the way Woohyun had planned. Sunggyu felt the disappointment hit him all at once, knocking the breath for him.

       He kept a smiling face as he thanked Sungjong and his friends for coming in the lobby of the venue. He kept smiling in front of his sister, and he didn’t let a tear slip from his eye until they were sitting in the darkness of her living room.

       He turned when he heard a sniffle. Sungyeol was already crying. “I’m so happy,” he croaked, rubbing his hand over his eyes, “But I really wanted first place.”

       A silent tear slipped down Myungsoo’s face, followed by two more. He turned to Woohyun, and when he saw the silent tears streaming down his face as well, he couldn’t help but burst into tears.

       “I wanted to win,” Sunggyu sobbed, grabbing on to Woohyun’s hand, “I wanted to win so bad.”

       The four of them let themselves cry in the darkness of that room. It was something that was inevitable, and could only be solved through cathartic indulgence. No one could mock them; their pain was their own and it was acutely felt in the wake of their bittersweet victory. One day, the pain would fade, but at that moment it felt like hot knives to a group of sixteen year old boys who had given their all only to fall just barely short of their goal.

       When their sobs had reduced to hiccups, then to sniffles, Myungsoo and Sungyeol fell asleep where they had sat, limbs splayed. Sunggyu smiled tearily at them and threw a blanket over their bodies.

       “Should we sleep?” he asked Woohyun, who still shook slightly. He had cried the hardest out of all of them, and Sunggyu could guess why.

       “No, I think--” Woohyun pushed himself to stand. “I think I need some fresh air.”

       Sunggyu looked at him for a moment. “Can I join you?”

       Woohyun nodded in silent assent as they quietly left the apartment. He started towards the stairs leading to the first floor, but Sunggyu pulled on his arm and pointed towards the ascending staircase. “I know a place.”

       They quietly headed for the top floor of the building, stepping out of the door at the top of the stairs onto the roof. A concrete barrier lined the perimeter, but it wasn’t so high that they couldn’t see the glittering lights of the city around them.

       “My sister told me about this place once,” Sunggyu said, walking over to the barrier and looking down. He paled and pushed himself farther behind the safety of the concrete. “She said she comes up here to smoke or to think.”

       “It’s nice,” Woohyun murmured, shivering slightly. It wasn’t cold yet, but the night winds brought with them the promise of a cool autumn.

       Sunggyu looked at Woohyun’s profile and thought about all that had happened. About the beach, the kiss, and his “DO NOT TOUCH” box. It was kind of pointless now, wasn’t it? Woohyun had irrevocably touched his life, and they had become a tangled, complicated mess. Sunggyu had always thought of entanglements as chaotic, unpleasant things, but what he felt when he looked at Woohyun that night wasn’t unpleasant in the slightest.

       He felt strangely light. It might have been a lingering high from their performance and subsequent win, but he didn’t think that was it exactly. When he thought about Woohyun and everything he had done, all for him, he couldn’t help but smile. He thought he might now know what it meant.

       “Woohyun, I--” Sunggyu hesitated, before trying again. “Thanks. For everything. I know I--I misjudged you before.”

       “Yeah, you were a real ass,” Woohyun replied, neatly dodging the light punch Sunggyu threw at his arm.

       “I’m trying to apologize here.”

       Woohyun grinned. “I know. Don’t worry about it. You were right before, you know.”

       “About what?” Sunggyu asked, stepping closer to him in the darkness.

       “When I heard you guys were looking for a guitar player, I was just looking for something to do. I just wanted another reason to not go home,” Woohyun said quietly, “I didn’t realize until later how much it meant to me.”

       Sunggyu smiled gently. “It’s okay. I think loneliness is as good a reason as any.”

       “Really?” Woohyun nudged him with his elbow playfully. “You sure ‘lifelong obsession’ isn’t the only reason to join a band?”

       Sunggyu scowled and nudge him back. “Of course not.” He was silent for a moment. “I’m really glad you joined, Woohyun.”

       “Yeah?” Woohyun looked over at him and smiled. “I’m glad too. I’m glad I met you.”

       Sunggyu gazed thoughtfully at the cityscape. It was a clear night, and he was even able to pick out a few stars. After a moment, he spoke again.

       “I’m sorry we didn’t win.”

       Woohyun’s brows shot up. “What are you sorry for? You wanted to win more than any of us.”

       Sunggyu rested his head on his arms where they were crossed on the barrier. “Maybe not all of us.”

       Woohyun flushed. “Well, a deal’s a deal,” he said, kicking a random beer can someone had left behind. “I won’t bother you with the kissing stuff ever again.”

       Sunggyu frowned. He found it strangely displeasing that Woohyun would give up so easily. “What happened to ‘wanting to be with someone no matter what’?”

       “I’m not going to force you to go out with me.”

       Sunggyu’s tongue darted out to lick his lips nervously. “And if it wasn’t by force?”

       Woohyun looked up at him in confusion. “What?”

       “I’m just saying  _ technically _ if we had won we’d be going out by force anyway,” Sunggyu said, scuffing his shoe on the concrete.

       Woohyun looked back down dejectedly. “Oh, right.”

       “That’s why,” Sunggyu continued, “it wouldn’t be forced if I said I still wanted to try, right?”

       “What are you saying?” Woohyun took a step forward, but hesitated to reach a hand out to grab him.

       “Don’t make me say it!”

       Woohyun’s lips split into a smile. He took another step forward. “You have to say it for me to understand.”

       “Fine!” Sunggyu snapped, “Woohyun, I think I kind of like you, at least enough to want to  _ try _ going out or whatever that entails.”

       Woohyun frowned then shook his head. “Not exactly romantic, but we have plenty of time to come up with a different wording for when we tell our grandkids how we met.”

       Sunggyu narrowed his eyes. “That’s it, I’m leaving, goodbye--”

       Woohyun grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him close. He leaned in for another one of those kisses that annoyingly stole Sunggyu’s breath away. Woohyun pushed him against the concrete barrier, and Sunggyu wrapped his arms tightly around Woohyun’s neck in fear he would fall over the edge.

       Woohyun laughed against his lips. “You’re such a scaredy-cat.”

       “Shut up,” Sunggyu replied, kissing him again, and again.

       Their future was uncertain, but of little importance at that moment because they were sixteen, and nothing ever matters besides the present moment when you are sixteen and in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you want to read a continuation, please subscribe to the series! Part 2 coming soon (hopefully) ^^


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